Stolen Treasures
by Caitlin-Chan
Summary: (Uh, this isn't exactly the best example of a fanfic for Hamtaro. It doesn't even have the guy in it..) A lot of events happen to Stella, and who is that Jake guy? Mike and the three double agents must find out to save Stella from her fate!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: THIS IS IT! I've worked on this fic since the last day of January of 2004. And if you are a friend of mine and you are reading this, you most likely got tired of me saying, "I'm writing in ST... Sorry if I'm not talking." After I ended this fic, I was so very happy that I made it. I want to thank Natsu and Megan especially for helping me out with this fic. You guys helped me when I was stuck on a few parts and never stopped giving me encouragement to keep going. You guys are my team of Double Agents, and I want to thank you so much. I want to thank the rest of you guys that also supplied support and encouragement!

Anyway, onto the fic...

Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The Confusion

All was stopped at the Bad Hams Place. All was paused; all was needed to be put in resume again. The freezing rain continued to come down from the dark storm clouds above. The lightning storm continued its path as the Bad Hams waited for it all to stop.

Stella opened her bright, silver eyes and looked around the cozy living room. Mike was sitting in his leather chair while reading a world history book, and he didn't look very interested in it at all. Roger was on the couch reading aloud like he usually did to a few of the Numbers in the floor in front of the couch. Becky was playing solitaire with a pocket PC while on the floor in front of a magazine.

Stella herself was just looking at letters and bills she had gotten from numerous hamsters. One was from the credit card company telling her to pay her four-month-late bills. Another was from Roger, which was no surprise. She sighed as she glanced at all the mail, which was mostly bills.

Stella continued throwing the bills in the scorching fire. She was not going to pay them. Why should she? Stella was naturally a spoiled, bratty beauty queen and a dark princess. Why should she listen to inferior forces? She was not going to pay those bills until it had been six months, like she usually did. Or should she even then?

After throwing a few bills in the fire, there was an envelope that caught Stella's eye. She glanced at it eerily. This envelope was too formal to be from the credit card companies and Roger, and it could not have been from anyone she really knew. Stella shrugged as she gingerly opened the envelope.

Mike looked up at Stella, who was slightly paused as she pulled the letter out of the envelope. He glanced at it eerily and got up from his leather chair. Mike walked over to Stella, cleared his throat, and inquired, "What do you have there, Stella?"

The rest of the Bad Hams' attention focused on Stella as she took the letter out of the envelope. She shrugged and whispered, "Like, how should I know?"

Roger put his book marker in his book and looked up inquiringly. He glanced at it and mumbled, "I wondeer whaat eet eez."

"We're, like, gonna find out," Stella whispered as she unfolded the neatly folded letter. She read it to herself and turned pale. Stella looked up from the letter to Mike and then back down at the letter again. She couldn't believe it; it was just too unbelievable. Stella glanced up at Mike and remembered she'd never told him anything about this or anything about the subject of the letter...

"Mike, I have something to tell you," Stella whispered as she looked back down at the letter.

Mike tilted his head and asked, "What is it, Stella?"

"Uh, well, you know how that I'm here right now?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, like, yeah...just read..." She handed him the letter and watched Mike as he read it.

After he read it, Mike looked up at Stella and then back down at the letter. He whispered, "Why the heck did you never tell me about your father?" He added a few grumbles here.

"Well, see," Stella whispered, "uh, I know you prolly wished I had told you about him and his sickness and when he came down with it five months ago, but, see, I don't like my father."

"Which-"

Becky looked annoyed and questioned, "So, what the heck is wrong?"

Mike shook his head and mumbled, "Well, Stella's father is supposedly dead from pneumonia. It tells us that there's gonna be a funeral... Stella, how about we go? I wouldn't mind, and I'm sure everyone else wouldn't mind. We might miss something if we don't go..."

Roger looked up. "Oh, moi, I am so sorry, Miss Stella," he remarked. "I hope your motheer eez okay."

Stella turned pale. "Roger," she whispered, "I don't have a mother. She walked out when I was a kid."

Becky rolled her eyes. "Who cares?" she retorted.

Mike frowned and scowled, "Becky, this funeral is in a few days. I suggest we go soon." He walked out of the room without any other words to say.

Stella sighed as she leaned back in the bean bag chair she was in. "This is prolly stirring his memory about that time... That time with Father and...him..."

A few days later...

Mike glanced over at Stella. They were in Hamster City with the rest of the Bad Hams, and they were in front of the funeral home. Stella was wearing a black dress, and Mike was wearing a black tuxedo. Roger was also wearing a black tuxedo, and Becky was wearing a black dress also. The Numbers were also wearing tuxedos.

Stella walked into the funeral home with the rest of the Bad Hams following her. She whispered to herself before she entered, "I hope he's not here."

A few hours later...

After the funeral, Stella, Mike, Roger, and Becky were standing outside of the funeral home. Mike's eyes were wide open, and he continued to disbelieve. He couldn't believe it...

"You mean your father was one of the wealthiest hamsters in history, and you _still_ didn't tell me?!" Mike inquired.

Stella looked down at the ground. "It's true," she whispered.

"And you're inheriting it all...," Becky murmured with jealousy in her voice.

Roger nodded. "Who was that one hamster?" he questioned.

Stella shrugged uneasily. "I don't know...," she whispered in a worried tone.

Contiguously a light brown and beige hamster walked up to the four Bad Hams. "Hi, Stella," he mumbled.

Stella turned pale. "Who da heck are you?!" she demanded as if she did not know.

The guy hamster looked up at her. "You know me," he whispered.

Mike frowned and retorted, "Hashaa? Do you see me here? Now...GO!"

The hamster scowled. "Excuse me?" he returned sharply. "I've known this young lady way before you!"

"Who da heck are YOU?!" Stella shouted still as if she still did not know.

The light brown hamster turned back toward Stella and whispered, "Oh, why don't you remember me? I'm Jake, remember now?"

Stella turned even paler. "Yea, I do," she whispered back. "What are you here now for?"

"You know what I'm here for...," he whispered.

Mike had had enough. He pushed Jake against the wall and shouted, "I told you to go! Don't bother Stella! I don't want to have to see your face anymore after you leave! Now go!"

Jake scowled and pushed Mike away. He walked away slowly, still looking back...

"Gah...," Mike murmured angrily.

Becky scowled and turned around. "Why does _she_ get all of the attention?!" she inquired loudly.

Roger shook his head. "I do not get eet...," he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Kidnapping

A week later...

Stella was looking at the huge check she was given. There was a lot in it, almost half a billion dollars. She had secretly given a third to Mike after being asked for it to pay off _her_ bills.

Stella smiled as she walked out of her room and down the long corridor. She hummed "My Love is Like...Wo" as she walked down a flight of stairs and walked down another long hallway. After going down another flight of stairs and walking down a long passageway, Stella finally made her way to the living room.

Inside the living room were some of the Numbers at the card table, and there was also Mike, Roger, and Becky in front of the fire. Mike was reading the newspaper with Becky glancing over his shoulder, and Roger was hovered over a picture of something. Stella walked over quietly and looked over at Roger. He quickly glanced up at her and then put his paws over the picture.

"Hashaa, Miss Stella!" Roger remarked as he turned very red.

Stella walked closer to Roger and inquired, "Hey, whatcha lookin' at?"

Roger turned a red of all reds and whispered, "Notheeng. Notheeng aat all."

"Oh, c'mon!" Stella retorted and removed his paws from the unknown picture. She glanced at it and turned pale. It was a picture of her, of course, but not just any picture...

"Oh my God, Roger! Where da heck did you get DAT?!" Stella screamed. "I'm not some slut!"

Roger turned pale. "Number 13 preenteed eet off of zee seecureetee caameera," he replied.

Mike looked up from the newspaper. He stood up and walked over to Stella and Roger to see what it was. Mike turned pale, and anyone could see the heat rising to his head. He scolded Roger, "Roger! You are NOT supposed to make Stella look like a slut!"

Becky laughed and remarked, "Why try to make her look like one? She already is one."

Stella grew red in her face and screamed at Becky, "OH?! At least some guy wants to see ME like that!"

"You're just a self-centered little girl," Becky retorted.

Stella had had enough. She took the picture Roger was holding, ripped it into shreds, and threw it in the fire. Stella then pushed Becky into the floor and screamed in her face, "GET OUT OF MY LIFE, BECK-AY!"

Mike grabbed Stella's arm and shouted, "Stella! Don't do OR say that! Now help Becky up!"

Stella pulled her arm away from his grip and screamed, "Mikey, I love you! Becky, I hate you! Rogie, just stay out of this!" And with that, she ran out of the room with tears rolling down her face.

Mike frowned and turned toward Becky. He helped her up and whispered, "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it."

Becky smiled and exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, Mikey!"

Roger continued looking out the door. He didn't know what to say to what just happened. He put his head in his paws and whispered, "Oh, moi..."

Meanwhile, Stella was in her room with the door locked. She buried her face in her pillow and screamed obscenities that were meant for Becky. She was so embarrassed! Why would Roger have a picture of her like that? Stella didn't understand why everyone was now against her.

_Mike likes Becky for sure now!,_ Stella thought to herself. _I know for sure he does! Everyone saw that picture prolly, and that's just embarrassing! Stupid Becky, I wish something would happen to her that was bad..._

Stella sat up and looked down at the big check that was lying in the floor. She wiped her face with her throw and picked it up. Stella whispered to herself, "I wonder what would happen if I went away... Maybe everything would be better for Mike. Mike prolly thinks I'm just some stupid little girl hanging around this place. But...being part of the Bad Hams is all I know. No one will guide me now...I have to get out of here..."

Later that night...

Stella looked at the small suitcase she had come up with. Inside of it was her big check, most of her jewelry, her journal, her laptop, and numerous ribbons. Stella closed it quietly and looked around her room. She was going to miss this place that had welcomed her in the past, but it was now time to leave. Stella slipped on a black cloak, and she placed an enveloped letter on her nightstand and walked out her bedroom door.

The hallways were deserted as Stella tiptoed down them with her small suitcase. She walked down the stairs and hallways that led to the front room, where the door was. Stella glanced around in the pitch black halls to make sure no one was following or watching her.

Stella made her way to the quiet and dark front room. The wooden table with its two chairs had always been there, so she knew where to walk. Stella felt the door knob and turned to look back slowly. She thrust open the door and closed it behind her sharply as she walked up the staircase.

Once to the top of the stairs, Stella opened the double doors that led outside. The rain was pouring and didn't show signs of stopping as she closed the doors behind her. Stella drew her cloak closer to her and started walking through the forest of trees. She had no idea where she was going; she just knew she was going away from this place.

Stella stopped walking when she saw two bright lights a ways from her. She glanced around and walked toward the two lights. Stella did not know what the lights were, but she was going to find out.

When she got close to the two lights, there was a faint noise that sounded like a car engine. Stella trudged closer to what by now looked like a car. Her eyes were alert and so were her ears as she continued walking toward the car.

Suddenly two hamsters emerged from the car. Stella stopped dead in her tracks. One of the hamsters was the guy hamster she saw a few days ago, Jake, and the other hamster was a very dark brown, bulky hamster. She didn't know who he was, but she knew he was a friend of Jake's.

Jake walked up to Stella and peered into her face. She drew her cloak even closer as she whispered, "I never thought I'd see you here."

Jake whispered back, "I'm back, Stella."

Stella scowled and retorted, "That was a long time ago. That doesn't mean it's still so."

"I'm back now, Stella," Jake whispered as the bulky hamster walked over.

Stella backed away and said under her breath, "No..."

Jake shook his head and seized Stella by her arms. "I'm back, Stella...," he whispered as the bulky hamster opened the trunk of the car and put Stella's suitcase in it.

Stella's eyes opened up wide and screamed, "NO!!"

"Yes, Stella," Jake whispered as he brought her closer.

Stella wrenched herself free from Jake's grip and began to run. Jake shouted to the bulky hamster, and the two got back in the car and began to drive after her. Stella screamed loudly for help, but no one seemed to be there. She was too far from the Bad Hams Place to get there, so she headed for one of the Ham-Hams' old houses, Caitlin's. The car Jake and the bulky hamster were driving was right behind her, and she could feel her blood run cold.

Suddenly, as if it was placed there on purpose, Stella tripped over a tree root and fell flat on her front. She tried to get off of the ground, but the bulky hamster lifted her off of the ground and slinged her over his shoulder. Stella continued to scream, but she knew no one heard her. Jake walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and whispered, "Stella, I'm back."

Stella tried to scream and escape from the bulky hamster, but the bulky hamster was too strong. He bound and gagged her and threw her in the trunk. Jake continued to whisper, "I'm back...I'm back...I'm back again, Stella." The next thing Stella saw was darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ransom Note

In the morning...

Mike glanced around the living room in the Bad Hams Place. Stella should've been down by then, and he knew something was wrong. He shook his head as he glanced at Becky, who was reading the newspaper with three of the Numbers looking over her shoulders. Roger was standing in front of a mirror on the wall fixing his brilliant, blue bow tie.

Mike sighed and mumbled, "Something's not right here."

Becky looked up from the newspaper and remarked, "It's right here, for once! Stella's all sad because she's a slut, and I'm not! Ha ha...Mike?"

Mike got up from his leather chair and stormed out of the room. He _knew_ there was something wrong with that picture, but what? Mike walked down the hallways and up the stairs that led to Stella's room. He walked to the door and knocked softly.

After a minute without a reply, Mike frowned. He knocked again and whispered, "Stella, are you alright?"

After another minute, Mike sighed and cracked the door open. He said more loudly, "Stella, are you okay?"

Mike pushed the door open all the way to reveal no one in the room. He turned pale and looked around. The big check was missing, so were the ribbons that Stella had on her walls, and most importantly, Stella herself wasn't there. Mike rushed in and looked around. Stella was nowhere to be found.

Mike glanced around and saw the envelope on her nightstand. With shaking paws, he picked it up and opened it. He turned pale after he read it and stormed out of the room and all the way to the living room.

Everyone in the living room's attention turned toward Mike as he entered the living room. He rushed over to Number 1 and shoved the letter in his face. "Read," Mike ordered.

After Number 1 read it, he turned pale and whispered, "You mean, she left because Becky doesn't like her?"

Becky glanced around and retorted, "WHAT?! It's not _my_ fault she ran away! It's because she didn't get her way."

Mike shook his head and leaned against the wall. Roger walked over with a terrified look on his face and whispered, "You mean Miss Stella left?"

"Yes, Roger," Mike mumbled. He pushed Roger out of his way and walked out of the living room. When he stopped in the hallway, he remembered someone was coming today to the Bad Hams Place...

Suddenly, Mike realized he was in the front room. He heard the door open, and he heard the very-rare-yet-familiar voice...

"Hashaa, Mike!" Caitlin said as she walked down the steps with her brown fur dyed black and her hair up in pigtails with lime green ribbons.

"Cait!" Mike shouted as he ran up to her. "Have you seen..."

"I found this," Caitlin said as she held up a brick with a piece of paper tied to it with a string. "It says 'To Whoever or Whatever Finds This'."

Mike turned pale. "Cait, give that to me," he demanded and held out his paw.

Caitlin held the brick toward her. "No! It's mine!" Caitlin shouted and stuck out her tongue.

"It was thrown at the Bad Hams Place, right?" Mike inquired.

"...Yes," Caitlin replied.

"Then it's most likely for me."

"Oh...crap." Caitlin frowned as she handed it over to Mike.

Mike hastily tore off the string and dropped the brick onto the ground. He opened the letter and read it quickly. Mike turned a pale of all pales and whispered, "This isn't right..."

"What does it SAY?!" Caitlin inquired eagerly and grabbed onto Mike's arm.

"It's...VAGUE!" Mike shouted. "This is awful... It says 'Dear You: I took Stella away forever. She won't be coming back. Ha ha ha. Ha. Yours never, Jake.' ...This is bad, Cait! C'mon!"

Mike ran out of the front room with Caitlin following closely behind him. The two ran into the living room in a rush, and again, everyone's attention was focused on Mike. He walked over to Number 1 again and said, "Now look at this!"

Number 1 looked at it quickly and shouted, "Oh, my God! Is this serious? About Stella? So, in more intelligent words than this vague thing, she was kidnapped?"

"CRAP," Caitlin shouted. "I NO LIKE DAT."

"Oh, shut up," Mike retorted. "So, you say that?"

Number 1 nodded. "Looks like Stella was kidnapped," he mumbled. "That's all I say."

Becky rolled her eyes. "You know, she could've made that letter herself to make everyone worry about her!" she remarked.

Mike turned toward Becky and returned sharply, "Oh? She ran away _because_ of you calling her a slut! And now she was kidnapped _because_ I wasn't there! What do you say to that, Miss Becky?"

"Mike! Don't be so harsh on Becky!" Caitlin shouted. "It's not her fault. Now quit getting mad at everyone, and we can do this!"

Mike scowled and yelled, "Caitlin-Chan Taisho-Kun Nicole Montgomery, you stay out of this! You halfly don't know anything because you're also a Ham-Ham! Now I recommend you let _me_ decide what we're going to do!"

Caitlin turned pale and whispered, "Yes, sir."

Roger shook his head and whispered, "Poor Miss Stella."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Bitter Memory

With Stella...

Stella slowly opened her eyes. She shook her head and whispered, "Was this all a dream?"

She looked around to find herself in a pitch black room. She thought she was on some sort of bed, for she was on something soft. Stella shivered and looked down at herself.

Stella gasped when she saw that she was in a hot pink dress that was very heavy. She felt the top of her head to find a hat that was a lighter shade of hot pink with a long, delicate veil. Stella stood up and walked around blindly.

After a minute of being aware of her surroundings, Stella grew used to the darkness. She felt her way around a pentagon-shaped room and around again. Stella found the door and tried to open it, but, of course, it was locked.

Stella went back to the small bed in the room and sat down on it. She barely got on top of it, for the dress she was wearing was very heavy. Stella whispered to herself, "I remember now why this freak has brought me here..."

She spent a moment in a flashback a while back. Stella suddenly heard footsteps, and her flashback disappeared. She lied down and pretended to be asleep as the door opened, and a crack of light entered the room. Stella heard the footsteps come closer to her, and she held her breath when a paw touched her. Stella then heard these words: "I'm finally back, Stella..."

Stella shot up from her fake sleep to find Jake staring at her. She backed away from him and whispered, "Where is this place?"

Jake said nothing as he reached toward her. "I'm back, Stella...," he whispered as he pulled Stella toward him.

Stella jerked away from Jake. She backed farther away from him and backed against the wall. Jake continued staring at her, and he came once again closer to Stella. Stella tried to push him away, but Jake lifted her and took her out of the room.

Outside the room was a short hallway that Jake took Stella down. He walked into a room a few paces down the hall from the other room and closed the door behind him. Stella wanted to scream, but she somehow could not. She could only continue to look at Jake.

Jake laid Stella down on another bed, and he started talking.

"Stella," he began, "you know why you're here. Remember a while back before you were what you are now? Remember when you lived with your father, a single parent? Remember how I asked for your paw in marriage? Remember how your father said it was alright? Remember how you ran off with that Mike? Remember how you fell in love with him? Remember how you deleted all memory of me? Remember, Stella?"

Stella nodded slowly. She was almost too scared to reply. She only wished she could run away. Stella then heard Jake whisper, "I remember." She screamed loudly and pushed him away from her. Stella could not say anything in particular, she just screamed. Jake frowned and whispered, "Stella, I deserve you. Not that Mike. I asked for you first."

Stella continued to scream as she turned away from him. She sobbed for her and Mike. Stella screamed Mike's name over and over, and she faintly heard Jake leave the room. She kept on screaming until she once again fell into a deep slumber.

At the Bad Hams Place...

Caitlin continuously watched as Mike paced around the living room. Roger was curled up in a ball rocking back and forth on the couch, and Becky was flipping through a magazine furiously. The Numbers continued conversing amongst themselves about the situation.

Mike glanced upward toward the rest of the Bad Hams and remarked, "I remember what that Jake guy looks like. He was light brown and also had sort of a beige color. Didn't we see him in Hamster City? He has to be around here somewhere..."

Becky looked up and retorted, "Why does everyone love Stella? She's just a dumb brat that has her head in the clouds. I'm not like that! I'm actually lovable."

Caitlin nodded and remarked, "Akay, maybe sometimes she can be a brat, but c'mon. She's Stella! No one can live without her, not even you, Becky. We just got to pull together as a team and work together!"

Becky rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Actually, I could live without her..."

Mike frowned and just shook his head. What now? He had no idea what was going to happen next, but he just hoped Stella was alright...

"Whaat eez goeeng to happeen to Miss Stella?" Roger inquired as he turned pale.

Mike paused and turned a pale color of all pale colors. Caitlin glanced around uneasily. Becky snickered, and the rest of the Bad Hams looked confused. Roger closed his eyes and whispered, "Oh, moi..."

"Roger, do not, I repeat, do NOT ever say that again." Mike shook his head and closed his eyes also. "Oh, God, I'm not gonna be able to rest now..."

Caitlin nodded and whispered, "This is why I'm glad I'm not her."

With Stella...

Stella opened her eyes slowly. She felt more light in the room that was so dark before. Stella inched upward and sat up. She could see a bit better, but it was like being in a tent with thick material on a slightly bright day.

Stella shook her head and got off the bed she was on. She walked around looking around the rectangular shaped room. It was merely a room with one window that was covered with an extremely thick canvas stuck over it. She sighed as she paced around.

Stella walked to the door and wondered about it. She shrugged and slightly put her paw on the knob. She turned it slightly, but it was locked. She sighed and leaned back against a wall.

_I'm too pretty to be locked up forever...,_ Stella thought to herself as she looked around. _Great, just. This guy prolly has things in mind...God, did I just think what I thought I thought? Oh God...oh, please...no..._

Stella turned pale and whispered, "Like, oh, my God..."

She shook her head again. Was she actually thinking what she was actually thinking...?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Double Agents

Back at the Bad Hams Place...

Mike leaned against a wall with his head bowed down. It was a long while before noon, and no one except Caitlin was in the living room with him. She sat quietly on the couch thinking silently to herself.

_Dude, we need to figure out where this guy is...,_ she thought. _We also need more sources of information, like where did he come from and all that other crap. I wonder how he knew Stella though..._

"Mike." Caitlin's voice broke the outcast and wracked silence.

Mike glanced up protestingly. "What do you want?"

"Uh, well, do you know how that guy..."

"Jake or Jacob or something like that."

"Yeah, well, how does he know Stella?"

"...I don't know, Cait, I just don't know."

Caitlin nodded and whispered, "I wonder...?"

Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise that came from the front room. Mike became alert and rushed out of the room. Caitlin quickly followed him toward the front room.

When they got to the front room, Mike and Caitlin looked around confused. There was Becky, but with her was her younger sister and Caitlin's best friend, Natsu. They were scowling at each other like they were fighting.

"Hashaa?" Mike inquired loudly.

Becky turned toward Mike. "Oh, Mikey, I found someone who can help you! Natsu! Now...uh..." She paused slightly as she nudged Natsu.

Natsu mumbled, "But I'm too good to be evil... And why am I here again?"

"Uh...Mike, uh...I forgot."

"Jake," Mike mumbled with a feeling of rage in his voice.

"Violent, nay?" Caitlin questioned.

Natsu looked up at Caitlin. "CC! You're also a...Bad Ham?" she asked and glanced over at Becky.

"Uh, yeah...," Caitlin whispered. "Don't tell..."

"Are you afraid to be a Bad Ham, Cait?" Mike demanded as he turned around toward her with sparks in his eyes.

"No...just Boss Woss..." Caitlin blushed as she whispered her husband's nickname.

"...Woss?"

"Uh...it rhymes."

"Random...well, Cait, you explain the story to your 'best' friend."

"Akay."

After Caitlin explained everything to Natsu, Natsu shook her head and remarked, "I wanna be like you, CC, so I'll be half Bad Ham, too."

Mike nodded his head with satisfaction and responded, "Well, I'll go do everything and blah blah blah and yada yada yada, and, Cait, will you tell her everything she has to do?"

"Yes, sir." Caitlin nodded with serenity in her voice.

Later that day...

"So, my Bad Ham name is Natalie?" Natsu inquired as she looked confused somewhat.

Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, well, you have to have a Bad Ham name, I think because of identity and stuff since we're double agents," she explained. "I'm not sure...I'm never sure."

"Hmm...I guess."

Caitlin and Natsu were outside on a tree branch talking the each other. The dainty, mild spring sun was high in the air, and there was a chilling breeze coming from the west. Caitlin was still in her Bad Ham disguise, and Natsu had temporarily dyed her hair black and put it up in dark blue elastics. She had also taken off her purple glasses and put on a gold pair.

Caitlin looked down at the ground from the high tree branch. She had quite a view from this tree branch, but a little too much view...

"CC!" Natsu's voice shouted.

Caitlin came back to reality and found herself on the edge of the branch, but it was too late. She fell off the tree branch, and fell onto the ground. Caitlin sprawled on her back and mumbled, "Heh heh heh, I'm akay..."

Natsu raced down the tree trunk and over toward Caitlin. Caitlin started laughing stupidly like she was unaware she was even laughing. Natsu sighed and mumbled, "CC, you always get yourself hurt in some way..."

"That's true," a voice said from behind.

Caitlin gained her senses back when she heard that voice. It was a Ham-Hams', she knew, and she knew they knew who she was. She turned pale and looked up slowly...

"CC, you look like you've seen a ghost!" the voice mumbled.

Caitlin shook her head and looked at the Ham-Ham. She laughed, "Megan, why do you have to scare me like that?"

Megan, a white hamster with light brown spots and brown hair with a guitar strapped to her back, shook her head and mumbled, "Caitlin-Chan, you're a Bad Ham? And Natsu, you are, too? I wanna be one too!"

Caitlin sat upward and remarked, "Yeah, sure! That'd be fun...we could be the trio of half and half ham gals! Hehe, I just thought that sounded cool..."

A few minutes later...

Mike glanced up and down, from the papers to Caitlin, to Natsu, to Megan. He thought it was sort of funny that Natsu, in her new Bad Ham disguise, looked like she had bat wings, and to him, Megan looked like a Gothic thug with her light brown spots and hair dyed black with a hot pink and purple stripe in her hair. He smiled slightly at the thought of thinking that Caitlin looked normal.

"Sooooo...what do we do now?" Megan inquired, whose Bad Ham name was now Dilla.

Mike nodded slightly as his small smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. "Well, Cait, Natalie, and Dilla, do you think you could locate this Jake guy?" he questioned.

Caitlin glanced at her two best friends and shrugged. "Do you think we can?" she asked intently.

Mike shrugged unknowingly. "The question is...do you think you can?"

"Maybe...," Natsu mumbled. "Where did you see him at?"

"Last place? Hamster City..."

"Then we'll look there, I suppose," Caitlin declared. She turned toward Natsu and Megan, who shrugged soundlessly, and mumbled, "Well, I guess we're on our own now..."

"Yeah, but can you handle it?" Mike smirked, as if doubting that the girls had the ability to walk four hours and beat up some creep and save Stella all at once.

Caitlin frowned and turned toward Megan and Natsu. "Well...any ideas on how we get there?" she inquired worryingly.

Megan spent a minute in thought before piping, "How 'bout we fly on kites? Nin Ham can...so can we!"

"..." Mike dissatisfyingly scowled. "You can't _fly_! That's not acceptable! ..."

"Why? Because you didn't think up it?" Natsu challenged.

Mike curled his lip and retorted, "I could think up better."

"Why do you think you could think up something better than flying?" Megan returned sharply. "Or maybe I can't fly because I'm a _girl_!"

Mike snorted and retorted, "I'm dictator around here, and that means I tell you what to do! So you walk!"

"What an asshole," Megan whispered to Caitlin.

Caitlin giggled a bit and turned again toward Mike. "If we walk, _you_ walk!"

"...I don't have to." Mike sneered as if Caitlin was an inquiring, vexing child.

Megan rolled her eyes and whispered, "He's just scared to!"

"Tootru...," Natsu whispered back.

Mike rolled his eyes and retorted cruelly, "_Well_, if you have anything _worth_ telling me after you get there, _then_ you can most likely be better having an intelligent conversation with someone intelligent."

"He needs to get smacked," Megan whispered to Caitlin.

Caitlin nodded slowly and told Mike, "Well, we'll find our own way to get there, and you can get there any way you want."

"No!" Mike retorted. "You walk! I command...you follow!"

Megan snorted and returned, "Oh? You go all out about how much you love Stella, but you send us to do your bidding like you're king of the world!"

"Fyi, I will be someday!"

"You need to get smacked. Fast and hard."

Mike wrinkled his nose in disgust and retorted, "Just get there any old way. I don't care! Just get there!"

"Alright, Snot Almighty," Megan returned with an upbeat of joy and exaggeration.

Mike obviously chose to ignore this because he didn't say anything but turn and walk away.

"Butthead...," Megan mumbled.

Caitlin and Natsu were laughing crazily. They could not believe someone would retort to Mike's crude comments and say something just as snotty back!

"Go Megan!" Caitlin laughed. "He doesn't know what to do about you!"

Megan smiled pleased and remarked, "So, are we gonna fly on the kites or are we gonna walk like Snot Almighty told us to?"

"...Kite," Natsu rejoined.

"YAY, I LIKE FLYING!" Caitlin shouted randomly.

"...Provided that you're not as stupid as you were on that tree and fall off and hit your head," Megan replied mockingly with a wicked grin.

Natsu snickered and Caitlin thwacked her on the shoulder. "We really need to go see if Nin Ham has any kites we can use unless we want to rope up a couple of seagulls," Caitlin pointed out.

Natsu remarked, "...isn't Nin Ham not in Oak Tree Park? And, crap, seagulls scare me..."

"Seagulls rock...," Caitlin mumbled.

Mike returned to the front room, where they were, and retorted, "Aren't you three going NOW?"

"Yes, Snot Almighty." Megan exaggeratingly bowed and stood in salute.

"...I plot your death."

"Can I go up and smack him now?"

"...I hate you."

"I could beat up that Jake until he's dead, so don't be too mean to me."

"...yeahhh..."

"Well, you could beat up anybody, Snot Almighty."

"...Just go!"

"Point taken. I know when I'm not wanted." Megan turned around and started walking up the staircase. Caitlin and Natsu giggled a bit before walking after Megan.

"...Stupid bitch." Mike scowled angrily and walked back out of the front room and into the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Beginning Of Jake's Story

With Jake...

FLASHBACK

Jake, fair-minded and normal, walked through a crowded room of a small shop one cold, winter afternoon. He was peering through the crowd and trying to see who all was there. Jake knew he was supposed to meet one of his friends in this crowded shop.

The fresh smell of air blew in through the door when it cracked open, along with a sharp, cold wind. Jake glanced toward the door, expecting it to be his friend. He glanced toward the door and only saw a gray hamster with a fancy suit on with a monocle on his left eye. Jake sighed and looked back up. His eyes widened as he looked again...

Behind this obviously rich, gray hamster was a beautiful, slim girl hamster. She had four silver spots that shined when the light of the small shop hit them. The awe-inspiring girl hamster was wearing a long, hot pink dress with a necklace of jewels dangling from her neck. This must have been the daughter of the rich, gray hamster.

Jake's eyes continued to widen until he couldn't widen them anymore. He absorbed the beautiful image of the girl hamster in his mind, being careful not to forget every detail. She was the most beautiful girl hamster he had ever seen in his life...

Before Jake knew it, he was standing before the father of this alluring girl hamster. The gray hamster glanced down at him and remarked, "Hello, young sir. Who are you?"

Jake could barely mutter, "Jake."

The rich hamster smiled with faint satisfaction. "Grand, ...Jake? Ah, yes, my name is Simon, Jake. They call me one of the richest hamsters in the world! Ha ha..."

"Father..." The girl hamster frowned with an adorable voice.

Simon blushed mildly. "Ha, I'm just telling our dear Jake what everyone says. But they aren't lying! I am one of the richest hamsters in the world!"

Jake gulped, and it accidentally slipped out, even though it wasn't true. "I'm rich, too."

Simon looked up interestingly. "Hmm?" he remarked. "Maybe you would enjoy doing business with me?"

"Yes, I would. I would love to meet your family," Jake remarked as he blushed mildly.

Simon blushed slightly and whispered, "I'm sorry, our dear Jake, but I'm divorced, and I only have my daughter, you see?"

Jake nodded, even though he really wasn't interested in him. He was only interested in this girl hamster.

"How about we have dinner sometime?" Simon inquired. "I'm sure we could talk business."

"Yes, we could, but I'm a bit behind on some things...," Jake lied.

The beautiful girl hamster glanced at Jake with a slight connotation of unsatisfaction. She looked him over, and Jake continued to look at her with his widened eyes. Her bright, silver eyes just captivated his mind and made his eyes seem that they just had a slight sliver of green in them. He was still in awe as Simon remarked, "How about we have dinner tomorrow night?"

Jake shook his head and remarked, "Yes, of course! Six o'clock would be perfect, if it is good for you, of course. I'll be there no sooner or later!"

Simon smiled with more satisfaction and replied, "Of course! I'll give you my address, and you can meet us there!"

END OF FLASHBACK

Jake, now reckless and with his mind occupied with thoughts of Stella, sighed as he laid back on his couch in a dark living room. The windows also had some sort of canvas covering them that made the room murky. The room had few pieces of furniture, but the furniture it had in it had a lot of grandeur. The couch was fluffy and pure white, the two chairs in the room were carefully covered with pale green slipcovers, and the coffee table was made out of polished cherry wood.

Jake got up off of the couch and walked out of the room. He walked down a hallway to a door that looked like it might have led outside. Jake opened it and slipped outside into the brisk, summer day. It was a bit blustery, but it felt grand outside in the lively day.

He walked down a sidewalk from the door he just exited. Jake turned around to face the small house he lived in. It was a joyful looking house, with its morning glories climbing the outside walls. The lawn was kept clean, neat, and very green, and it had not a weed in it or a blade of grass out of place. You would have thought it was fake grass at first glance, but it was truly not an artificial lawn. The windows from the inside were covered with thick canvas, and you would probably wonder why Jake liked the rooms dark. He was just afraid that since his house was so nice from the outside that hamsters might try to look inside it.

Jake walked to the sidewalk beside the road and paced down it. Clamorous and irking cars sped down the small street as he walked past small houses of different looks. When Jake finally reached the end of the street where the street sign read "Brach Street", he stopped in front of a payphone to use it since he didn't have his own phone in his house because he didn't have much money to pay for electricity. He put enough change into the phone and dialed a number, and he waited until a small voice answered, "_Hello_?"

"Hi, Chad, this is Jake," Jake said into the phone.

"_Oh_, hi, Jake," the hamster named Chad spoke. "How _are_ you?"

"I'm fine, and I've got a secret."

"_Oh?_"

"It's about Stella."

"_What_ about _her_? Isn't _she_ that _girl_ that _you_ like a _lot_? Ha ha, _so_ what's _up_ about _her_?"

"Well, uh, I'm on the payphone again, so I'm not gonna tell you a lot..."

"_Just_ tell _me_. _Whisper_ it if _you have to_."

"Alright. Well..."

"_C'mon!_ Lemme hear!"

"Well, Chad, uh... Gah, I can't believe I'm gonna let this get out, but don't tell anybody..."

"_Okay_."

"Chad, I...uh...I kidnapped her."

"..._You did_?"

"Yes, Chad, I did."

"Jake...that's _awesomely awesome_!"

"...Really?"

"_Yeah!_"

"...Ha."

"_Who_ helped _you_?"

"Uh, our big friend."

"Whoa, so _how_ _did you_ do it?"

"I don't know... I was with our big friend in our rental car, and then suddenly, there she is in the dark of the night. So, in other words, she was just there."

"_Whoa_, that's _awesome_, Jake!"

"I don't know what to do now. That's the problem. That...guy is probably after me..."

"_Who's he?_"

"Well, uh, I just don't know... He was with her one afternoon, and he may be her boyfriend... God, he must've been that one Mike guy... He's the Bad Ham leader hamster, and she's his assistant."

"_Whoa_, Jake, looks like _you're also _stuck in a pot of _crack_. Hasn't _he_ killed _hamsters_ before?"

"Yes."

"_And_ isn't _he_ the _guy_ who's_ trying _to take over _the world_?"

"Yes..."

"And isn't _he_ _head-over-heels in love _with that Stella _girl_?"

"...YES..."

Jake was about to explode. Chad was asking way too many questions that made him uncomfortable answering. He didn't want it to get out that he abducted Stella, because he _knew_ Chad had a big mouth and usually bragged about being his best friend.

"_Jake?_" Chad's voice once again flowed into Jake's ears.

"I'm here."

"Do _you_ need _any help_?"

"Yes, I just need help thinking of what to do next."

"_Hmm... I know _what _you_ should do."

"What?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: ...Hat Balloon?

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

"Well, we're not having any luck finding things to get to Hamster City with, are we?" Caitlin inquired with a slightly pained voice.

Natsu and Megan shook their heads. Megan spent a few moments in thought before she suggested, "What about balloons?"

"Hmm...that would be pretty convenient," Natsu remarked.

Caitlin nodded. "We could find one of those ballons in the human part of town. Let's get a purple one!"

"Let's get whatever color we get," Megan responded. "It's gonna take a little work to find one, though."

Natsu nodded. "We need to take what we can get," she added.

"Well, let's check out what town has got." Caitlin had an upbeat of positiveness in her voice.

The three girls were beside the river at the moment. They traveled beside the calm river until they came to the park exit. Caitlin, Megan, and Natsu followed the sidewalk to the nearby human part of town.

The town was crowded with people as the three girl hams squeezed their way through the crowd. Not a human noticed the three hamsters walking right past them. It didn't surprise Caitlin, Natsu, or Megan that a human didn't see them.

Caitlin wandered around with the two other girl hams following directly behind her. She walked to the front of the supermarket, where she saw a bright, red balloon tied to a sign.

"I'm sure Snot Almighty hasn't thought up flying on a balloon," Megan pointed out.

Natsu giggled and responded, "Snot Almighty... I wonder what Becky would do if she heard you calling Mike that!"

"She'd wring your neck," Caitlin rejoined. "But, you have to admit, Mike is sorta mean..."

"Mike is Snob the Great." Megan winked with satisfaction.

"So, how long will it take to get to Hamster City on a balloon?" Natsu inquired.

Caitlin looked around and said, "Well, it'll take us about three or four hours, maybe less because of the wind." She pointed up at the air. "It's a bit blustery today."

"Will we have to hold on to the balloon for three or four hours?" Megan asked.

Caitlin glanced at the red balloon. There was no way she could hold onto it for four hours straight. They had to figure out something to tie the balloon to that they could be on...

"Uh, guys...," Caitlin muttered, "...we're not gonna be able to hold on for four hours. We're gonna have to find something to tie it to..."

"Tie it to...a hat," Megan suggested.

"Where do we find a hat?" Natsu queried.

"There," Caitlin announced as she pointed at the supermarket.

"We steal one?" Megan inquired.

"Yup," Caitlin responded with doubt in her voice.

"...This is insane," Natsu mumbled.

Caitlin nodded and walked toward the supermarket as Natsu and Megan followed. She paced in through the open door and looked for a hat. Natsu and Megan followed behind her closely. When they didn't expect it, a human walked by with a purple hat on. Caitlin stopped immediately and pointed at the head of the human.

"HAAAAAAAAAAT!" she hissed.

Caitlin ran after the human with the purple hat. She jumped and clung to the jacket he was wearing. Megan and Natsu ran beside the human but didn't jump onto him. Caitlin rushed up his back to the hat. When she grasped the hat in her paws, Caitlin jerked it off of the human's head and fell to the ground. The human continued sauntering as if nothing had happened.

Natsu and Megan ran up to Caitlin and helped her up. "Hat," Caitlin mumbled mindlessly.

"That was stupid, yet brave, CC," Megan remarked.

"Tootru," Caitlin uttered.

The three girl hams walked out of the supermarket prudently with the purple hat. Luckily not a human saw them as they walked out through the open door. When they returned to the red balloon, it was still tied to the sign.

Caitlin walked up to the balloon. "Two of us will have to hold the balloon while the other unties the balloon and trusses it to the hat," she remarked. She was confident that would work.

"Hmm...who's good with knots?" Natsu inquired.

"I'm pretty good with them," Caitlin acknowledged.

"Okay, then Natsu and I will hold the balloon," Megan commented.

Caitlin nodded and hopped up onto the sign. Natsu and Megan followed close behind her. Megan and Natsu held onto the string of the balloon as Caitlin fleetly unlaced the tiny knot. When she unfastened it, the balloon started to rise higher in the air and lifted the girl hams into the air. Caitlin quickly snatched for the purple hat and caught it onto the sign. Megan and Natsu were very pale and breathing hard.

"That scared me, CC...," Natsu mumbled.

"That scared me, too...," Megan declared.

Caitlin nodded and hastily tied the balloon's string through a big hole in the hat. She shouted up to Natsu and Megan when she was done, "I'm finished! Hurry quick! This balloon will lift once I let go!"

Megan and Natsu quickly jumped into the hat. Caitlin released the hat from the sign and got into the hat as fast as she had gotten the hat off of the human's head. She relaxed when she got into the hat, for she was now safe.

"What do we do when we need to get down?" Megan inquired.

Natsu turned pale and remarked, "We pop the balloon."

"Then we'll fall!" Caitlin panicked. "And it'll go down, and down, and down, and BOOM!"

"Well, it's better than never getting down," Megan pointed out.

"...Tootru," Caitlin mumbled. "Well, hopefully we'll get caught in a tree...or something."

The girl hams were high up in the air by now. They looked over the sides of the hat to watch their familiar town disappear into nothing.

"When do we know we've come to Hamster City?" Megan asked.

Caitlin paused. She knew that Hamster City was four hours away, but she didn't know what it quite looked like! She thought for a minute, trying to remember every detail from a familiar story...

"Merry-Go-Round." Caitlin paused again. Merry-Go-Round?

"What?" Natsu and Megan querried.

Caitlin thought again. What was up with a...Merry-Go-Round? It would be too small to see from the sky, but why did she say that?

"Pashmina and Penelope." Caitlin whispered to herself without thinking of what she was saying.

"What's up with them?" Megan asked.

"...Park!"

"A park?" Natsu inquired.

"...Hamster City is next to a park with a big river and that's where the Bad Hams went when they were doing that three weeks thing! Hmm...and Pashmina and Penelope went to a red Merry-Go-Round!"

"Who cares about Pashmina and Penelope?" Natsu murmured.

"Caitlin-Chan, are you saying you know what it looks like?" Megan questioned.

"...Yes." Caitlin winked. "I think I know."

"Great, just," Natsu sighed with relief.

"You be our watch-out, CC," Megan said.

"Akay," Caitlin whispered as she looked over the side of the purple hat. "I'll try..."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Beginning Of Stella's Story

With Stella...

FLASHBACK

It was a cold and blustery winter day that day Stella walked with her father, Simon, a gray hamster wearing a fancy suit, through town. The sky was a dull gray, and she thought it might snow. Stella was wearing a graceful hot pink dress with a necklace of jewels dangling from her neck.

Simon glanced around and turned toward his daughter. She glanced up intentively at him with her bright, silver eyes.

"Stella, I'm going to have to find a proper suitor for you soon," he remarked.

Stella frowned. "Oh, Father, you know I don't wanna marry any time soon! And besides, it takes time." She winked cutely. "I'll find my own guy sometime soon."

Simon frowned dissatisfied. "Well," he mumbled, "let's go to the store and see what there is." He turned around slowly and walked to a small shop with Stella trailing reluctantly behind him.

Stella entered the small shop close behind Simon. She looked around and saw no one she was interested in. Stella sighed and looked down to the floor, and she looked up again. _Wait...,_ Stella thought. She looked to the back of the store and saw a tall, black hamster with _really_ brown eyes and two large, muscular, black hamsters beside him. Oh, yes, she knew who he was, and she'd been waiting to see him...

Stella glanced at her father to see him talking to a beige hamster with four light brown spots. He seemed to be looking at Stella more than her father, and she tried to look away, but his eyes were _really_ wide open, and she thought she heard him say his name was Jake.

Stella frowned. Was Simon really trying to find _her_ suitor? Stella thought Simon was inviting this Jake to dinner the next day. She wasn't really listening, but she kept on glancing intentively back at the black hamster. He was _so_ cute...

"This is a stickup!" he shouted at the clerk. The black hamster pulled out a large gun and pointed it at the clerk. "Give me all you got!"

Stella's love was captivated by this hamster. She watched dreamily as the clerk burst into tears of panic as he handed this black hamster all of the money he had in the counter. The black hamster beat the clerk across the face with the butt of the gun as he shouted, "Get it all! Have a safe? Give me all it's got, too!"

_Oh,_ Stella thought dreamily, _his voice is SO hot, too..._

The clerk gulped and whispered, "W-w-we ha-h-have a s-s-s-sa-safe, bu-but I do-do not know wh-what the combi-combination is."

The black hamster frowned. He whacked the clerk again with the butt of his gun and shouted, "Then give me what else you got!"

The clerk shivered violently and looked toward a panic button. He reached for it, but the two muscular black hamsters tackled him and pinned him to the wall. The black hamster snorted and ripped open the cash register and tore it apart to see if there was anything else inside of it. After seeing there was nothing more, he looked disgustedly at the clerk and threatened, "I wouldn't call the police on the Bad Hams, would you?"

The clerk turned paler as the two other hamsters released him and pushed him into the floor. The black hamster shouted, "Let's move out, Bad Hams!"

Stella watched with quixotic eyes as the black hamster with the two other hamsters ran toward the door. She was hoping her father would stop him and ask _him_ to be her suitor, but, of course, it appeared her father was interested in Jake.

When he ran past her, Stella noticed he did slow down to look at her. The other two hamsters stopped and looked at her. She blushed as the black hamster smiled a cute-but-evil smile at her as he looked back at the clerk. The clerk was just getting up, and the black hamster spun around and ran out the door with the two other hamsters following him.

This had to be Mike of the Bad Hams, Stella knew.

Simon turned toward Stella. "Come on, Stella," he said to her as he walked toward the door. She knew Simon had no idea the small shop had just gotten robbed. Stella obediently followed him, but she was still thinking about the hamster she had just seen...

END OF FLASHBACK

Stella lied back on the big bed. She wondered what Mike was doing. She wondered if he had already thought up how to save her, like in fairytales how princes saved princesses. Of course, she was the princess, Mike was the prince, Jake was the sorcerer, and that...hamster...was the dragon.

Stella paused. Who was that hamster that helped Jake kidnap her?

Stella spent a minute in thought. Jake never called him anything. Wouldn't he have said his name? Or did he even have a name?

_Nah,_ she thought, _he has to have a name. But he didn't talk either, did he? Hmm..._

Stella sat up while she was still wondering why Jake didn't call the dark brown hamster by name or why the hamster didn't talk. She wondered if he even _had_ a name.

_He has to have a name though!,_ Stella thought. _What if he doesn't have a name? What if he can't talk? Ow..._

Stella lied back down. She thought again about Mike. She wondered where she was, too.

_But...,_ Stella wondered, _...If I don't know where I am, Mike doesn't have a clue!_

She sighed and sank into despair. Mike didn't know where she was. What if he thought she had just run away, like her letter said? What if he had no clue that she was in trouble, and what if he didn't even care where she was?

Stella touched her cheek to realize she was crying. She sniffled and whispered, "He doesn't know I need him. Why did I run away? Why didn't I just get over it? Why did I decide to leave? What the HELL was I thinking?!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Getting To Hamster City

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

Caitlin looked with bored eyes over the edge of the hat. Natsu and Megan were leaned up against the edges of the purple hat. It'd been a long time since they had left their familiar town.

Caitlin sighed and looked down at the ground. She turned pale and shouted, "There it is! There's Hamster City!"

Megan and Natsu quickly jumped up and rushed over to where Caitlin was. Sure enough, there was a park, a river, and the huge Hamster City across from the river.

Caitlin walked over to the knot that kept the balloon attached to the hat. She looked back at Natsu and Megan and said, "Hold on tight, y'all!"

She yanked the knot, and it released the balloon. There was a sudden plunge of the hat, but it somewhat acted like a parachute. It slowed down and gently floated to the ground. Once the hat was safely on the ground, Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan climbed out eagerly and were glad they were on solid ground again. They were currently in the park.

"Ha, I never thought you would make it here!" a voice shouted from a nearby distance.

Caitlin didn't need to look up to see who it was. She knew it was Mike, who was probably also on his way to Hamster City.

Mike walked up to them with a slight smirk on his face. "Wow, you made it," he smirked.

Megan looked up at him and returned, "Yes, we did, SNOB THE GREAT."

Mike frowned. "I'm going to ignore you," he retorted. "Do you think you know where this Jake might live?"

Caitlin sat up and shrugged. "It couldn't be in a cardboard box, we know," she remarked.

"That's common sense," Mike snapped back.

"We could go around town and see if anyone knows him," Natsu suggested.

Becky, Roger, and the Numbers came walking up behind Mike. Mike turned toward them and remarked, "Bad Hams, go around town and see if anyone knows him. Just don't go to the police," he commanded.

Becky rolled her eyes and murmured, "Stella, Stella, Stella. I hate you, Stella."

Mike frowned and turned around toward Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan. "Just go to where there's a lot of hamsters, okay?"

"Alright," Caitlin said as she stood up. "Let's go, ham gals!"


	10. Chpater 10

Chapter 10: Regrets

With Jake...

Jake wasn't quite sure of what Chad had told him to do. He knew it was right, yet he knew it was wrong. He remembered how Chad said to do it, but he was still unsure of himself...

Jake walked back into his dark house. It felt so good outside, but he needed to tend to Stella. He walked down the hallway and carefully opened a door. Jake peered in, and he saw Stella face down on the bed. He cracked open the door a bit more, and he whispered, "Stella, do you need anything?"

Stella looked up carefully and whispered, "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you wanted something to eat or something," he mumbled.

Stella sat up and whispered, "I guess."

Jake walked toward her and grasped her paw. He stood her up and pulled her out the door. Stella weakly followed him. Her will was obviously broken in pieces.

He walked her over to a table in a small dining room and pulled out a chair for her. She reluctantly sat down in the chair, and he pushed the chair in close to the table. Jake glanced down at the ground and whispered, "What would you like?"

Stella shrugged. "I don't care," she murmured.

Jake nodded and walked out of the room into another. Stella glanced around the small dining room. It was a bit dainty, and the walls were an off-white while the floors were a slight beige. It was alright, but not quite Stella's tastes.

Jake came back into the room a few minutes later. He put a basket of sunflower seeds in front of Stella, and Jake sat down at the table and intently watched her. She stared back at him a bit, and she stared around the room. She knew someone else was watching her...

Jake turned around toward the doorway. "Is my big friend bothering you?" he inquired Stella.

Stella looked at the doorway. The bulky, dark brown hamster was there staring at her and Jake. She braced herself and asked, "Who's that?"

Jake turned toward Stella and whispered, "Oh, that's my big friend. Uh, he doesn't have a name, and he doesn't have a larynx, which means he can't talk."

_Isn't that impossible not to have a larynx?,_ Stella asked herself.

"My big friend, come over here and meet Stella," Jake told the dark brown hamster.

The dark brown hamster drooled.

"Oops, sorry," Jake apoligized. "Come here, big friend. Meet Stella."

The bulky hamster walked over to Jake and Stella. He bowed toward Stella carelessly and stared at the hat on her head. The hamster pointed at it and drooled.

Jake blushed violently and whispered to Stella, "He thinks your hat is fuzzy."

Stella glanced at the hamster. Fuzzy?

"How do you know that?" she inquired.

Jake shrugged. "I've known him long enough to know what he means," he replied with a tone of proficiency in his voice.

Stella nodded slightly. "Do you have my suitcase?" she asked since she suddenly remembered her suitcase.

Jake turned toward the cumbersome hamster. "Suitcase," he told him.

The dark brown hamster nodded and walked out of the room. Jake stood up and pulled Stella's chair out. He offered her his paw, but she refused it and got up herself. She and Jake followed where the bulky hamster had gone.

The hamster was pacing around the living room as he pointed at one of the chairs with a pale green slipcover. On it was the suitcase. Stella gingerly picked it up and whispered, "I'll go back into that room now."

Jake nodded and walked down the hall. Stella followed close behind, and when he opened the door to the room, she entered and unhesitatingly closed the door behind her.

Inside the room, Stella set the suitcase down on the bed and thrust it open. She looked at all the things she had packed so carefully the afternoon before. She reminded herself of how much she cursed while she packed it, and she remembered how angry she had felt. Now she wanted to go back home, to the Bad Hams Place. She wanted to see and love Mike, she wanted to read Roger's letters to her, she wanted to hear Becky's curses and have a fight with her, she wanted to watch the Numbers play their card games, she wanted to see the occasional visit from Caitlin, and she even wanted to see her bills that she had thrown into the fire the day before. But now, she was alone with Jake and his no name friend, and she _knew_ Mike didn't know where she was. He probably didn't even know she had been kidnapped. He probably didn't even remember seeing Jake at her father's funeral. He probably-just probably-didn't even care.

Stella looked at all that she had carefully included in her suitcase. There was her big check that she had inherited, most of her jewelry, numerous multi-colored ribbons, her journal, and her laptop. She opened up her journal and dug out a pencil from the bottom of the suitcase. Stella sat down on the bed and opened it up to her last entry, the one she had written before she had left the Bad Hams Place the night before. It mentioned how much she loved Mike, how much she hated Becky, why she was leaving, and what she thought the day before.

Stella shook her head and turned the page. It was a blank page, and she began writing:

_Dear Journal,_

_It's me, Stella, once again. Everything bad that could've happened to me did! You remember how I said I was running away last night? Well, yeah, I didn't get very far. I've been kidnapped by that Jake guy! Do you remember him? He has me trapped in this small place, and I don't know where it is! I wonder if Mike knows anything about what happened? He prolly doesn't, for all I know. He prolly is wondering where I am, but he prolly doesn't think anything bad has happened to me. I'm not gonna write much because I'm not sure who might look at this. Oh, why did I run away? I shouldn't have, right? I wonder what's gonna happen to me? Oh, God, I don't wanna think about that! I think I know, but I'll keep it secret for now, but I'm sure you know... Well, I'm gonna go now, hashaa-sha._

_Stella_

Stella stared at what she wrote. She didn't spill out much of what she felt, but she knew her pain was indescribable. Stella closed her journal silently and slipped it back into the suitcase.

Stella took out her laptop and turned it on. She looked through her folders, and she couldn't bear it much. Stella had the biggest collection of pictures of her and Mike on her laptop that she had scanned. All of them reminded her of how much she loved him, but she didn't know if she was going to ever be able to see him again in person.

Stella whispered to herself, "Mike used to captivate me by his grandeur love, now I'm just in the loving memories of him..."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Chad

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

"I wonder where we could go to hear something mentioned about people?" Caitlin wondered aloud as she, Natsu, and Megan walked along the sidewalk of a busy street.

"Dunno," Natsu mumbled.

"Maybe at a club?" Megan inquired.

Caitlin nodded. "Well, let's see where there's a lot of people."

The three girl hams continued to walk down the sidewalk until they heard a lot of commotion in a nearby alley. When they heard a lot of shouts, they ran toward the alley to see what was there. In the alley, there was a short, large-voiced hamster that was white and blonde talking loudly to a whole group of hamsters.

"Jake's _so_ awesome! _And_ he's _my_ best friend, and _not_ _yours_!" the short hamster sneered at the other hamsters.

"Chad, so what? What does Jake do that no one else does?" a hamster inquired.

"That must be his best friend," Megan whispered to Caitlin and Natsu.

Caitlin nodded. "Let's see if he knows anything," she remarked as she came into view of the other hamsters.

The group of hamsters turned toward Caitlin and shouted, "Hey, who are you?!"

"I'm Cait Shoxxi," Caitlin remarked confidently. "And these are my sisters, Natalie and Dilla Shoxxi."

The hamster named Chad, the short blonde and white hamster, nodded. "I'm _Chad_, and _I'm_ Jake's _best_ friend!" he bragged. "You're _hot_, _Shoxxi_ gals!"

Caitlin glanced toward Natsu and Megan and rolled her eyes. "So what are you talking 'bout?" she inquired Chad.

Chad responded, "_Well_, I _was_ talking about how _awesomely awesome_ Jake _is_!"

"That's what Becky says," Natsu whispered to the other two girl hams.

"Who's that?" Caitlin asked, acting as if she didn't know him even though they were looking for him.

"Well, _he's_ this guy, and _most_ people _say_ he's a _freak_, and they _say_ he's a _freak_ because he's **_CRAZY_** over this one ham gal, which he _is_, but he's _really_ cool!" Chad explained.

"He's like my dad...he **_EMPHASIZES_** words," Caitlin whispered to Natsu and Megan.

"So, what has he done so amazing?" Megan questioned.

Chad cleared his throat. "_Just_ what _I_ was _going to_ tell _everyone_," he remarked. "_Well_, what has Jake _done_ so _wonderfully_? I _encourage_ this to _everyone_... He _kidnapped_ the girl _that he liked that didn't like him_! _Everyone! Everyone_ here who likes someone _but_ they don't like _you_, _kidnap them! _Ha, isn't that _so intelligent_? Just get _Jake's big friend _to help _you_, and **_YOU_** can _kidnap_ someone _you_ like, _too_! Ha, and it's _free_! I _encourage everyone _to do that! Do _like_ Jake! _Kidnap_ that _special_ girl _you_ like, and then _marry_ her! Ha ha, it should be _fun_! I _would_, but _I don't _have my eye on _anyone_. _Remember, when you like someone and they don't like you, **KIDNAP THEM**!_"

"..." Caitlin glanced around at all the mesmerized hamsters. _**GOOD GOD!**, _she thought._ **These hamsters are RETARDED!**_

"I wanna kidnap the nurse at the hospital!" a hamster piped up.

"I'm gonna kidnap that Officer Bob's wife!" another hamster shouted.

Caitlin turned pale. Barbara?

"I'm gonna kidnap Chad!" a big hamster declared.

Chad looked at the hamster as if he was a stupid child and shouted, "**_I'M A GUY, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!!!_**"

"...So?" the hamster responded.

"Could I see this Jake?" Caitlin inquired Chad as she stepped toward him.

Chad shrugged. "_I dunno_," he remarked. "_He_ doesn't _have_ a phone _at_ his house. He _always_ uses _the payphone_. _And_, uh, _I dunno_ _where he lives_. Ha ha, _I'm stupid_ when it comes to _places_! ..._I_ forgot _what_ his _house_ looks _like_. _I could find out for you_, if _you_ wanted, _but I have to wait until he calls me_, which _might_ be in..._a week through two weeks_."

Caitlin turned paler. "How often do you see him?" she inquired.

"_Quite_ a _bit_...," Chad responded. "I'll _find_ out _where_ he lives _for you _soon."

"Thanks, ...Chad? Hehe," Megan rejoined.

Chad bowed. "_If_ I _haven't_ mentioned, you're _hot_, _Shoxxi_ gals!" he complimented.

"Akay...," Caitlin mumbled as she, Natsu, and Megan walked quickly away from the alley.

Once they were away from the alley, Caitlin declared, "We need to tell Mike about this."

"Will Snot Almighty listen?" Megan inquired.

"I think so."

"Let's go find him then," Natsu remarked.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Dinner And Lies

Later that afternoon...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked up slowly to the bridge that crossed the river. The river wasn't as calm as it was earlier when they crossed it, and it splashed up onto the bridge. The three girl hams didn't much care, they just wanted across. They were tired from all of the commotion in the day.

"How long will it take to walk to where the Bad Hams are?" Natsu groaned.

Caitlin shrugged. "About thirty minutes," she mumbled.

"Ugh," Megan muttered.

Caitlin groaned herself and started walking toward the place where the Bad Hams were supposed to stay. Natsu and Megan followed closely behind her as she walked near the river. She knew that it was a big tree, and there was a big entrance on the front of it.

"It's a big tree with a big entrance," Caitlin described. "And there's a big rock in the middle of the river where it is..."

"Okay...," Natsu mumbled.

"I'm gonna sleep good tonight...," Megan murmured.

"Don't worry, me too," Caitlin responded.

Thirty minutes later...

It was dusk by the time Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan saw the first signs of the place where the Bad Hams were. Dusk seemed darker since there were lots of trees giving off lots of shade around the area. Caitlin walked up to the entrance and thwacked on the door.

A few minutes later and after a few more knocks on the door, Number 4 came to the door and let the three girl hams inside. In the front entrance, it was very grand. There was a Y-shaped staircase with pure white carpet on it, and the ceiling extended very high. There was a coruscating chandelier that was the biggest chandelier Caitlin had ever seen. There was a large globe made out of marble on the left side of the room, and Mike walked into the room from the stairs.

"Find out anything?" Mike smirked, doubting the fatigued girl hams found out anything.

To Mike's surprise, Caitlin nodded. "We know who his best friend is, and we know he did it, thanks to a little victory speech he put off. But the guy doesn't know where he lives! Dude, he doesn't even have a phone, he said. And-"

Mike was listening until Caitlin said "Victory speech." What was that?

"He was really short, and really loud, and-"

"What was this...victory speech?" Mike frowned slightly at the thought of it.

"Well, he bragged about Jake kidnapping Stella, and then he started encouraging everyone to kidnap each other. Crazy, if you ask me. He seemed like a real retard."

Mike turned pale. He didn't have any idea what was going on here, but he wanted a closer look at something he knew he would regret getting into later. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the sound of Jake's name.

"Well, what did his best friend look like?" Mike inquired with a tone of anger in his voice.

"Well...," Caitlin mumbled, "he was really short, and he was white and blond. Yeah, and he talked really loud, too. His name was Chad, and he looked _really_ annoying."

Mike nodded with an aspect of serenity. "Surprisingly, you three, you've done very good for you first day. Would you like anything to eat?"

"Of course!" Megan replied eagerly. "...If it's not poisoned."

Mike smirked. "Why would it be?" he asked teasingly.

Caitlin shrugged. "I guess," she replied.

"Yeah," Natsu remarked.

Mike nodded and walked toward a door on the left side of the grand front room. Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan followed closely behind him as he walked down a long, elaborate hallway. Mike walked through a pair of doors, and the three girl hams continued following him.

Inside the two doors was a large dining hall. Caitlin, Megan, and Natsu stood in awe as they looked around it. There were five tables, which could have five or six hamsters at each one. The Numbers were taking up three of the tables, and they were playing cards while they waited. Becky and Roger were at another table conversing as Mike walked up to the table with the three girls following right behind him.

Becky glanced over at Natsu and inquired, "How do you like the Bad Hams? You didn't wanna be in them first, did you? But how do you like it now?"

Natsu nodded. "It's akay...," she mumbled.

"Master Mike was doubteeng thaat three girl hams like you would be able to do aneetheeng," Roger acknowledged them.

Megan flashed a mean look at Mike and retorted, "Oh? You thought that we couldn't even get to Hamster City, did you? Well, YOU'RE wrong!"

Mike scowled at her and returned, "I was testing you."

"Riiight," Caitlin murmured.

Mike pulled out a chair and sat down in it. "Well," he remarked, "are you gonna sit with us, or are you going to sit alone?"

"I guess we'll sit here," Caitlin declared as she pulled another chair from the other table and sat down in it. "I'm worn out!"

"I bet you are," Mike mumbled.

After a few minutes of waiting, eight maids came out of a large doorway each with a tray. Caitlin watched with bright eyes as they walked up to the tables and laid down a plate of food in front of everyone. Their way of doing it was fascinating, and they knew exactly where to go. Caitlin could tell they had been maids for a long time.

Caitlin looked down at the plate of food she had gotten. It was a club sandwich with a side of fries, one of her favorites. Her eyes grew bigger than her stomach as she started nibbling on it.

Megan watched Caitlin closely and remarked, "Gosh, CC, you're acting as if that's the only thing you've had all day!"

"It is, though," Caitlin said with her mouth full.

Mike was talking actively with the other Bad Hams. He was talking about how he was going to beat up Jake until he wished he was dead, and the other Bad Hams were listening attentively. Mike also talked about how the ride to Hamster City was more nerve-racking than usual.

Roger looked over at Caitlin and remarked, "I wondeer whaat zee Haam-Haams are doeeng?" He looked as if he was trying to get her to remember them.

Caitlin turned pale. She didn't tell her husband, Boss, she was in Hamster City. She didn't tell him anything about going anywhere. She remembered how she crawled out of the large bed early in the morning as Boss was still sleeping and how she put on the temporary black dye and lime green ribbons and walked to the Bad Hams Place. She hadn't told him anything about the Bad Hams either.

"Mike." Caitlin's voice sounded panicked and shaky.

Mike looked up with a look that said, "What the hell is your problem?" and remarked, "Yes, Cait?"

"Can...I...use your phone?" she inquired.

"What for?" he asked.

"I need to call...someone."

"Your husband? Ah. Yes, the Ham-Ham leader... Do you know where the phone is?"

"No."

"It's down the hallway."

"Akay, thankies." Caitlin got up and walked out of the dining hall. She knew there were eyes following her after she mentioned her husband. Caitlin walked down the hallway to a small table with a phone on it. She wondered why it wasn't somewhere else.

Caitlin picked up the cord phone gingerly and dialed the familiar number of the clubhouse. She held her breath as it rang. After a few rings, she heard the familiar, "Hamha???"

"Hey, Bossy," Caitlin whispered into the phone. She could tell from his voice that he'd been worried about her.

"Caitlin-Chan, where have you been?!" Boss shouted into the phone.

"I'm at Hamster City with Natsu and Megan."

"Howdy was wondering where Natsu was, too. We've been looking all day long! Why did you leave without telling me?! When I woke up this morning, I was afraid that you had run off!"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, tell me next time. You comin' home?"

"I'll be home in a few days."

"Where are you in Hamster City anyhow?"

"..."

"CC?"

"...ummm..."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just somewhere in Hamster City..."

"Why can't you just tell me which hotel you're at? I'm gonna go up there and stay with you."

"No! I mean, it's just me and the girls. You can just...stay home."

Caitlin heard Boss sigh loudly into the phone. "Where are you calling from?" he inquired.

"...Here."

"Where's 'here'?"

"Here."

"Caitlin-Chan, what are you telling me?!"

"..."

"CC? Hello?"

"..."

"CC! Where are you in Hamster City? I'm going up there!"

"..." Caitlin thrust the phone down and hung up. Boss was obviously angry with her, and he was going to go up to Hamster City to look for her. If he came up and she was out in the city with Natsu and Megan, he would be able to find her in a heartbeat!

The phone started ringing, and she turned pale. There was most likely more than one phone, and what would happen if a maid picked it up? Caitlin picked up the phone slowly and whispered, "Hello?"

"Caitlin-Chan! Why did you hang up?!" Boss's angry voice rang through the receiver of the phone.

"I'm sorry. It hung up on me." Caitlin tried to sound as innocent as she could.

"Okay...now tell me, where are you in Hamster City? I wanna go up and see you!"

"...It's just me, Natsu, and Megan."

"I know who you're with, now just tell me where you are!"

"I'll be home in a few days. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"CC?"

"Uh, bye, Boss Woss!" Caitlin thrust down the phone. She couldn't just say, "Oh, I'm with the Bad Hams 'cause I'm also a Bad Ham." She couldn't say, "Oh, I'm hunting down a creep that might hurt me." And she definitely couldn't say, "I'm doing something for Mike."

Caitlin sighed as she leaned back against the wall. Did the clubhouse have Caller ID where it said not only the number but the name of the place? What would the Caller ID say? Would it say "The Bad Hams"? She hoped not as she paced back into the dining hall.

She sat back down at the table, where everyone was still eating. Caitlin sat in thought for a minute about her husband. Would Boss actually come look for her in Hamster City? Well, actually, she was in the outskirts of Hamster City. They weren't _really_ in Hamster City.

Mike glanced toward Caitlin and inquired, "So, how did your phone call go?"

Caitlin gulped. "He was worrying about me, and he wanted to know where I was."

Mike flashed his eyes. "Did you tell him anything?" he asked.

Caitlin shook her head. "I just told him I was hanging out with Natsu and Megan."

Caitlin realized that Mike didn't use Boss's name much. Luckily she remembered that, otherwise she would've called him by name.

Natsu glanced toward Caitlin and questioned, "Did Boss say anything about Howdy?"

All of a sudden, all of the action in the dining hall stopped. Natsu looked around and inquired, "What did I say?"

Caitlin leaned over toward Natsu and whispered, "You're not supposed to say _his_ name unless Mike does. Mike hasn't, so you can't either. Only when Mike refers to him by that, which is really rare, it's akay to say his name."

"Ah, so it's like an enemy thing?" Megan questioned.

Caitlin nodded. "Just remember that."

Mike glanced around and remarked, "Well, anyhow... How is everything? Is everyone alright with what they got? Well..."

Caitlin sighed. The other Bad Hams started conversing again, and she welcomed the friendly break of the silence.

After about ten minutes, the eight maids came back in and took away all of the plates. They walked back through the large doorway and came back a few minutes later with more plates. This time, they had dessert, and Caitlin watched eagerly as they set it down on the tables.

When one of the maids set a plate with a chocolate brownie on it in front of Caitlin, she started eating it spontaneously. She still listened to the conversation going on around her though. She knew Roger was talking about playing cards later that night with the rest of the Bad Hams, and Megan was talking about the last movie she saw. Mike wasn't talking much now, and after a few minutes, the conversation died down.

Caitlin hated silence at any meal. She set down the fork in her paw and remarked, "Have you ever thought and questioned about some things in life?"

Mike looked up. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"Well, which came first, the chicken or the egg?" she asked everyone.

There was a bit of silence. "Good question...," Becky mumbled.

"If you put 'THE' and 'IRS' together, you get 'THEIRS'. Accident? I think not." Caitlin smiled a bit.

"Hmm...that's not quite a coincidence, is it?" Mike mumbled.

"Well, if the S.W.A.T. team knocks down your door, do they come back later and replace it?" Caitlin asked.

"...I doubt it," Megan responded.

"Ask a question you think makes up life's many unanswered questions," Caitlin remarked.

"...Which came first, the fruit orange or the color orange?" Natsu inquired.

"...They probaablee came aat zee same timee," Roger said.

"What makes the sound when you snap your fingers, your middle finger hitting your index finger or thumb, or your middle finger hitting your palm?" Mike questioned.

"I dunno...," Caitlin replied.

"Are kids who act in R Rated movies allowed to see them?" Megan asked.

"Maybe...," Becky mumbled.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Confrontation Of Plans

With Stella...

"I should've brought my cellphone," Stella mumbled as she counted her ribbons for the seventh time. "Yeah, and I should've brought my cord to plug into the phone outlet to connect to the Internet."

It was getting darker in the room, and Stella looked up. "Gah, this place needs some light!" she remarked disgustedly and walked to the wall beside the door. Stella looked and turned pale. There was no light switch. She looked up at the ceiling. There wasn't even a light!

"Grand, just!" Stella retorted to herself. "Nooooo light!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Stella rushed over to her laptop, closed it, and shoved it quickly back into her suitcase. Right when she closed her suitcase, the door became ajar. Stella looked through the crack of the door and saw Jake.

"Yes?" she inquired loudly.

"Come, Stella," Jake told her.

Stella frowned and walked over to him. Jake opened the door all the way and grabbed onto her paws. She resisted the urge to pull her paws away from him and smack him across the face. Jake led her out of the room, down the hallway, and back into the dining room they had been in earlier. Stella realized the dining room didn't have a light either but instead was lit by candles. He led her over to a chair and pulled it out. She sat down slowly in it, and he pushed it up to the table.

Jake rushed into the other room and left her alone in the dining room. Well, Stella knew that Jake's no-name friend was standing in the doorway because of the strange presence in the room. When Jake returned, he put a plate with a warm sandwich in front of her. She frowned when she saw no napkin, and Stella picked it up cautiously and ate it slowly. Jake was just watching her, and it made her feel uncomfortable when hamsters watched her while she ate. She knew Mike never stared at her when she was eating...

Jake started talking. "Well, how is it, Stella?" he inquired.

Stella nodded. "It's good," she whispered.

He looked toward the floor and said, "Chad told me to tell you he said hi."

Stella looked up abruptly. "Who's that?" she asked.

"My friend..."

"Oh."

"He told me to marry you. And I'm going to."

"...What?" Stella turned very pallid.

"Chad. He said I was supposed to marry you. And I'm going to."

"...I'm sorry, now what again?"

"Chad told me to marry you, and I'm going to marry you."

"Who or what gave you the right to say that?"

"Your father."

"Okay, that's it! What's going on around here?!" Stella was screaming by now.

Jake got up from the table. "I deserve you, Stella, NOT WHOEVER THAT WAS! I DESERVE YOU, NOT HIM!!! I ASKED YOUR FATHER, AND HE JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE!!! WHO ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO MARRY?! ME, STELLA, ME!!! I'VE BEEN GONE FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I'M BACK, STELLA, I'M BACK, I TELL YOU!!! **_I'M BACK, STELLA!!!!!_**"

Stella turned paler and shouted back, "It matters who I like and who I don't! And I like Mike **_WAY_** better than **_YOU_**!!!"

"I don't care!" Jake screamed. "I ASKED FIRST! I ASKED FIRST! I ASKED FIRST!!!"

"I don't care who asked first!"

"I STILL ASKED FIRST!!!"

Jake was sobbing by now. He ran over to the wall and started banging his head against it. Stella watched with fear in her eyes as he screamed, "I'M BACK, STELLA!!! I'M BACK, STELLA!!! I'M BACK, STELLA!!!"

Jake's no-name friend rushed in and pulled him away from the wall. Jake was trying to pull himself away from his friend's clutches, but his no-name friend held him back. Jake continued screaming at Stella and continued sobbing. "STELLA!!! I DESERVE YOU, NOT HIM!!! ME, ME, MEEE!!! STELLA!!! ME, ME, MEEE!!! ME, MYSELF, AND I!!! WHY AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?! WHY DO YOU LIKE HIM?! WHY DON'T YOU LIKE MEEE?!"

Stella shrunk with fear as she screamed, "Leave me alone, you monster!"

"WHY DON'T YOU HEAR ME?! WHY DO YOU LIKE HIM?! WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?! I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU, I PROMISE!!! I LOVE YOU, STELLA!!! AND NOW, I'M BACK, STELLA!!! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'M BACK, STELLA!!!" Jake sobbed as he continued to try to get away from his no-name friend.

Stella couldn't listen to him anymore. She stood up and ran out of the room with her face in her paws. Jake continued to scream at her, and Stella raced down the hallway. She ran into the room and closed the door shut hastily. Stressful tears were running down her face, and she leaned back against the door.

Jake continued screaming, and she could hear him, too. Stella tried her best to ignore him, but he wasn't going to stop. After a few more minutes of him screaming, there was suddenly a loud knock on the front door of the house, or that was where Stella thought it was. She listened closely as Jake stopped screaming immediately and ran toward the front door. Stella could hear someone at the door, most likely a neighbor, telling him to be quiet and that they had company over or something like that. She couldn't quite hear exactly what they were saying.

Stella walked over to the bed and cleared it off. She shoved her suitcase under the bed and climbed onto the bed. Stella lied back onto it and looked at the ceiling. She wondered how long it would be until Jake either started screaming again or came into the room. She frowned. Too bad there wasn't a lock on the door.

After a few more minutes, she heard a quiet knock on her door. Stella sat up quickly to see Jake open the door and walk in. His no-name friend was following close behind him, making sure he wasn't going to hurt himself.

"Stella." Jake's voice sounded like a broken record.

Stella stared at him.

"Well, Stella...," Jake mumbled, "...uh, you know... I just want to tell you that I'm going to marry you in five days. Chad said he was arranging it for me, so don't worry about that. That was what I wanted to tell you."

Stella nodded stiffly. She resisted the urge to smack him and scream at him, but she knew she couldn't win now because the game was already over and won by Jake.

Jake nodded also. "Good night, Stella," he whispered as he walked out of the room with his no-name friend following him.

Stella bowed her head and sobbed once the door was completely shut.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The End Of The Day

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

"Gah, stomach ache...," Caitlin mumbled as she, Natsu, and Megan followed Mike down a hallway.

"I told you not to eat sugar packets, Cait...," Mike retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever," Caitlin riposted.

Mike ignored her again as he came back to the front room with the three girl hams following him. He turned toward the stairs and walked up them quickly. The girl hams admired the pure white carpet that looked as if it was brand new and the craftsmanship of everything. Mike had to stop at the top of the stairs and wait for them since they were looking at everything.

"C'mon, you three, we haven't got all night!" Mike snapped.

The three girl hams rushed up the stairs and followed him. Mike led them down a long, grand hallway until he came to a large door. He threw it open to reveal a large room with three twin-sized beds, a flatscreen TV, three nightstands, and three beanbag chairs. He stepped out of the way and remarked, "Well, while you're with us, you'll be staying here."

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan's eyes sparkled brightly as they looked around at the room.

"It's perfect!" Caitlin remarked. "It's almost like a big sleepover!"

"Heh," Mike rejoined. "About morning procedures...one of the maids will wake you up at eight in the morning, and you have to take a shower. The bathroom's down the hall. Oh, and breakfast will be at nine. I let everyone run around this place until midnight, and then I expect everyone to be in their rooms getting ready for bed. Also, please be asleep by one. I think it's important for everyone to get _at least_ eight hours of sleep. It would be even better if you could be in bed by midnight. And after midnight, the only place outside your room you can go is to the bathroom, and you must call a maid to make sure you're going there instead of somewhere else. To call a maid, just press this little button next to the door." He pointed at a white button on the wall. "If you want some kind of snack, just press that button too. Oh, and this is not a playground, it's just like the other Bad Hams Place, just more elaborate and expensive. Please don't run around screaming and all the other crap girls like to do at night. And I must add this...don't go into the forbidden areas, which include the surveillance room, the prison, the kitchen, and other places that take common sense not to go in. Got it?"

Caitlin glanced at Natsu and Megan and nodded. "I got most of it," she answered.

"Grand," Mike said. "Any questions?"

"Uh, yeah, what all is around here?" Natsu inquired.

"Well, I suggest you look around because if I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise," he replied. "Is that all? If that's it for now and you have another question later, just find me somewhere, alright? Good night, you three." Mike walked away down the hallway contiguously.

"Well, what now?" Megan mumbled.

Caitlin glanced around. "Let's see where everything is," she suggested.

"Akay," Natsu responded as they walked down the hallway.

"Let's start from the front entrance," Megan said.

"Akay dakay," Caitlin replied as they walked to the front room. After a minute, they found themselves at the top of the stairs in the front room. The three girl hams climbed down the majestic stairs to the floor below.

Once they got down on the lower level, they turned to the right to go back the way to the dining hall. While on their way to the dining hall, Caitlin saw many small rooms that looked like conference rooms, and she almost thought she saw the surveillance room with the door wide open and Mike inside it talking to one of the Bad Hams. She mumbled to Megan and Natsu, "Yo, is that the surveillance room?"

Megan and Natsu looked closer at it. It was a large room with numerous television screens showing different parts of the place. Mike was inside it talking to one of the Numbers, and he had a concerned look on his face.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Caitlin inquired quietly.

Natsu shrugged. "Dunno," she mumbled.

"Maybe we should get away from here before he sees us...," Megan remarked.

Caitlin nodded as they started to walk again. When they reached the dining room, there were many maids cleaning it up. The three girl hams didn't go inside but continued going down the long hallway. There wasn't much else down the hallway, so Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked back to the front room.

"I wonder what's down the other way?" Megan asked.

"Let's check it out," Caitlin responded.

The three girl hams started toward the unexplored area to the right of the front room. It was a heavy door, and Caitlin had trouble opening it. After they opened it, the three girls looked inside. It was a long, dark hallway that was only lit by a single light bulb. Caitlin threw the door shut quickly before Natsu or Megan could go in.

"We shouldn't go down there...," Caitlin whispered hastily.

"Why? It looks fun," Natsu said.

"It looks creepy...," Megan mumbled.

"Let's just go back to our room, and we can explore this place tomorrow night. We need our rest," Caitlin declared.

"What time is it?" Megan asked.

"I think it's about ten...," she replied.

"Akay, then, I guess we can go back to our room," Natsu remarked, still looking back at the large door.

The three girl hams walked up the grand stairs and walked down the long hallway. When they finally came to their room, they walked inside and got ready for bed. Caitlin lied down on her bed as Natsu climbed onto hers and Megan turned out the lights.

"Gah, I'm so tired!" Caitlin exclaimed.

"Don't emphasize like Chad, CC," Natsu told her.

"Yeah, right," she responded as she smiled.

"Yay, I'm tired...," Megan remarked. "How are we going to find that Chad guy so we can make him find Jake so I can cream his face in?"

"I don't know...," Caitlin mumbled. "I'm just tired."

"Let's figure it out in the morning," Natsu yawned.

"Good night, y'all...," Caitlin said as she pressed her face into her pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Second Day

The next morning...

Caitlin awoke to the sound of a Scottish voice talking. She opened her eyes to find a maid shaking her slightly. This maid must have been the one talking.

"Miss Cait, please wake up," the maid said in a Scottish voice.

Caitlin sat up and realized Natsu and Megan weren't in the room. She thought they must have already gone to take their showers.

"What time is it?" Caitlin inquired.

"It is eight o'clock in the morning," the maid replied.

Caitlin nodded and crawled out of the twin-sized bed. "Thank you, ma'am," Caitlin thanked as she walked out of the room and down the hallway. The bathroom wasn't very far, and she quietly walked in. Inside the bathroom, there were only three showers, and because of the sound of running water, she could tell that Natsu and Megan were already taking theirs.

Caitlin took out her pigtails and brushed her hair gingerly. She turned on the water in the shower and hopped in. There were lots of soaps and shampoos that lined the side of it. She quickly washed all of the temporary dye out of her brown hair and groomed herself.

When Caitlin got out of the shower, Megan and Natsu were already putting the temporary dye back into their hair and on their fur. Caitlin brushed her brown hair and dyed it black again. She put her hair up in pigtails with her lime green ribbons again before inquiring, "What time is it?"

Megan looked at a large clock on the wall. "It's about time to go down to the dining hall," she acknowledged.

"I actually like this place," Natsu remarked. "It's really nice around here."

Caitlin nodded. "They just work you to hell and back," she said.

"True," Megan replied.

The three girl hams exited the bathroom after making sure they looked alright. They traveled down the long hallway, back to the stairs, and down the hallway to the dining hall. When Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan finally got to the dining hall, the other Bad Hams were already there.

Mike glanced over at them as they sat down at the table. He smirked and said, "So, you were able to wake yourselves up?"

"Yes, Snot Almighty," Megan retorted.

Caitlin nodded. "I was lucky I could," she mumbled.

Mike nodded and looked over at the clock. "When we finish breakfast, I'll tell you what you're supposed to do," he declared.

"Akay," Natsu murmured.

With Stella...

Stella woke up with her head thrust in a pillow. She blinked sleepily and looked around. Stella was still in the same room, and it was still reality. She groaned sullenly as she sat up.

Stella stood up slowly and brushed off the dress she was wearing. She paced around the room and thought of nothing. Stella couldn't think now. Jake had won this game, but it wasn't a game anymore. She remembered that he told her it was five days last night, four now, until he married her. She flinched at the thought.

_Why me?,_ Stella thought to herself. _Why did I do this to myself? I'm so stupid...and I don't care if someone tells that to my face! It's the truth..._

Stella continued pacing until there was a soft knock on the door. She frowned as she turned around toward the door. It cracked open slightly, and Jake appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning, Stella," he said in a whispering voice.

She nodded and glanced toward the ground.

"Do you need anything?"

Stella continued looking at the ground.

"Stella?"

Stella wouldn't look up.

Jake frowned. He cracked the door open more and walked in. He walked toward her and gathered her paws in his.

Stella pulled her paws away from him and slapped him across the face. Jake stood frozen for a minute before saying, "Why did you just do that?"

"Why not?" Stella retorted.

Jake snorted and returned, "Stella, why do you do this?"

"Because I can."

Jake glared at her with his green eyes. He cleared his throat and remarked, "Chad wants to meet you sometime. He said so yesterday."

Stella rolled her eyes and riposted, "Why?"

"I don't know."

Stella crossed her arms. "Go away," she mumbled.

Jake shrugged, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind him.

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

"I wonder what Snob the Great is going to make us do today," Megan said.

"Me, too," Caitlin mumbled.

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan were standing in the hallway outside the dining room. They were told by Mike to wait here, and this was where he was supposed to give them orders.

Mike came down the long hallway after a few minutes of waiting. He eyed the hallway cautiously before he said, "Alright, ham girls, this is what I want you to do."

"What?" Natsu inquired.

Mike cleared his throat and said, "You three must try to find that Chad guy again and see if he knows anything else. Also force him to find Jake soon. Ask him if he knows any background info about Jake and why he's doing this to the Bad Hams. Ask him everything we need to know..." Mike paused a minute before continuing. "Also see if he has a criminal record if you can."

"Alright," Caitlin responded. "We can try."

"You can't try. You have to." Mike scowled with sternness in his voice.

"Yes, Snot Almighty," Megan retorted.

Mike grunted and walked away.

"Alright, ham gals, AWAY!" Caitlin shouted excitedly.

Natsu nodded slowly. "Riiight, CC, riiight...," she replied.

Once in Hamster City...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked down the same street on the sidewalk near the alley where they had seen Chad the day before. There was no sign of any of the hamsters in the group, and Chad was nowhere to be found.

"Where could that annoying looking thing have gotten to?" Megan inquired.

"You thought Chad looked annoying, too?" Natsu asked.

"I sure did. At first glance, he looks fine, but if you look at him for a minute, he looks ANNOYING!" Caitlin exclaimed.

"Tootru...," Megan remarked.

After a few minutes of walking back and forth down the street and seeing that Chad wasn't there, Caitlin stopped. "He's got to be somewhere!" she shouted. "Where is that Chad?!"

"_Hellooo_, _Shoxxi_ gals!" a loud voice shouted from a high place.

Caitlin glanced up onto a top of a tall building. There was Chad with no one around him. He smiled and shouted down to them, "_So_, _beautiful_, _you_ were _looking_ for _me_? _Wow_, _I_ feel _so_ loved! Come _up here_!"

"Akay...how?" Caitlin asked.

Chad pointed to the building. "Go _up_ the _elevator_," he said.

Caitlin nodded as she, Natsu, and Megan walked into the building. They rushed to the elevator and went up in it until they couldn't go up any higher. Once outside the elevator, the three girls had to go up a group of stairs before they came to the top of the building. Chad ran over to them once they emerged from the door.

"_Hellooo_, _Shoxxi_ gals! _Whaddup today?_" Chad greeted ecstatically.

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Natsu replied. "The sky and the clouds and the sun and everything else that's not held down by gravity."

"What _is gravity_?" Chad asked with doubt in his voice.

"The force that holds you down on the ground," Megan remarked.

"_Ah_. _So_, _how_ are the _Shoxxi_ gals _today_?" he inquired.

"Oh, we're fine. We just need to know about Jake," Caitlin declared.

"_Oh_." Chad looked down at the ground. "_He's_ been _very busy_, and _I_ have too. _I_'ve decided to help _him_."

"Grand!" Caitlin said with exaggeration in her voice. "Can you help us at the same time?"

Chad got stars in his eyes. "_Of course, I can!!!_" he said enthusiastically. "_I would **LOVE** to help you!!!_"

"Well, can you tell us who Jake is? Like, background and crap?" Megan asked.

"_Sure!_" Chad replied. "_Well_, _most_ people _say_ he's a _freak_, _but he's really cool_! His _number one_ dream is _to get married_ to this _one_ girl, named _Stella_, _and_ be _very_ rich. His _second dream_ is to _terminate everyone_ who _doesn't_ like him so he'll be _loved and only loved_. Jake wants _supreme_ power, and _he figures he could get it if he married the girl of his dreams_. And _that's_ where _the incredible Chad_ comes in, which is _me_. _Ah_, and he _plans on_ marrying in..." Chad paused and counted with his fingers. "..._four days_."

Caitlin nodded slowly with a feeling of anger. "So, can you tell us anything else, like about the wedding?" she inquired with vexation in her voice.

"_Sure, anything, Cait!_" Chad exclaimed. "_Well_, _I_ get to _plan it since Jake's busy_, and _I_'m _going to_ have it at this _small chapel_...uh..._it_'s down in _the outskirts of the city_, and it's _really_ nice, _actually_..."

Caitlin nodded and glanced over at Natsu and Megan. She turned back toward Chad and inquired, "Do you want to go to lunch or something so we could talk a little more?"

"_SURE!!!_" Chad responded enthusiastically. "_I WOULD **LOVE** TO!!!_"

"...akay...," Natsu murmured. She leaned over to Caitlin and Megan and whispered, "He's an enthusiastic idiot!"

"True...," Megan mumbled as she popped her knuckles.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Continuing Stella's Story

With Stella...

FLASHBACK

Stella patiently waited in a large library for her father. Simon was supposed to come and see if she looked alright for the dinner tonight. Stella was wearing a heavy light pink dress with a necklace decorated with moonstones. She sighed as she remembered that the hamster Simon was talking to in the small shop was supposed to come to dinner, and she almost thought that he wanted him to be her suitor.

_Bah,_ Stella thought. _I'll find my own suitor one day. I'll just tell Father I don't like him and that I like someone else._

At that moment, Simon, in once again a fancy suit and with his monocle glaring brightly in the light, rushed into the room with two maids beside him. "Hurry, Stella," he said hastily. "It's almost six o'clock!"

Stella sighed as she walked over to her father. "Do I look alright?" she inquired as she brushed off her dress before looking up at him.

Simon stared at Stella for a moment before saying, "Yes, Stella, you look wonderful! Now, come along, Stella!"

Stella followed her father as he rushed out of the room. They went down a long, elegant hallway to a large parlor. Simon looked around before he began talking again.

"Stella, this is what I want you to do," he remarked. "You've got to impress this young man...his name is Jake. Be like a young lady instead of a teenager. I think he might make a good suitor for you." He paused for a minute. "Stella, after he leaves, I'll ask you what you think of him. Please tell me the truth."

Stella nodded in reply.

"When the doorbell rings, stay here, and I'll answer the door. You be all...elegant and stuff. Alright?"

"Okay."

Contiguously, almost as if it was planned to right then, the doorbell rang. Simon smiled slightly as he walked out of the room.

Stella glanced toward the coffee table as she sat down on a nearby couch. On it was the daily newspaper, but an article caught her eye. She picked it up and read carefully. It was about the robbery at the small shop the day before. Stella's eyes coruscated with admiration at the thought of witnessing the black hamster rob the store. He was _so_ cute, and his voice was _so_ romantic...

Stella didn't even realize Simon walked in with a beige hamster with four light brown spots until she had finished reading the article. Simon was talking to the hamster, and he suddenly turned toward Stella.

"Why, you finally finished reading that article!" Simon exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Jake, that we had to wait until she finished reading..."

The hamster named Jake blushed. "It's alright," he whispered shyly.

_Grand,_ Stella thought to herself. _He's shy. I want a guy who's confident, like that hamster yesterday! Sigh..._

Simon nodded. "Jake, I want you to meet my daughter, Stella," he said as he walked over to Stella. "Stella, this is Jake."

"Hi," Stella remarked with dull interest.

"Hi, Stella," Jake replied as he blushed mildly.

_Grand,_ Stella thought. _He already likes me._

Simon sat down in a chair near the coffee table. "Jake, make yourself at home," he remarked.

Jake nodded and sat down in a chair also near the coffee table. He glanced at Simon, then at Stella, then at the newspaper article. He read it enough to get the point of it, and he remembered the shop mentioned was the shop he was at when he met Simon and Stella.

Stella continued staring at the newspaper article. She hoped she would run into the black hamster again, and maybe, _just maybe_, Simon would ask him to be her suitor. But for now, Simon was interested in this Jake guy. Stella didn't much like him because she already liked the black hamster, and the hamster didn't even know her name. She wasn't even sure if he had looked at her or what. Maybe the other two hamsters looked at her, but what if he was just looking to see if anybody saw him?

Stella wasn't listening to the conversation her father and Jake were having. She just kept on thinking about the black hamster and how cute he was. If only, if only...

"Stella, we haven't got all day! Now come along!" Simon remarked loudly as Stella came back to reality.

Stella realized her father and Jake were going into the dining room. Stella quickly stood up and followed her father out of the room. Jake just stared as he walked, almost as if he thought that if he blinked, he would miss something.

When they got to the dining room, Stella kept on thinking of the black hamster. She couldn't pay attention to the dinner, her father, Jake, or whatever they were saying. Stella wasn't listening, even though she pretended to. She was asked a few questions, and even though she didn't hear them, she just nodded her head with a dreamy look in her eyes. Stella didn't even know what she was saying yes to.

Stella didn't even know that Simon and Jake had gotten up from the table. Simon cast a scolding glare at Stella as she came back to reality. She jumped up from the chair she was sitting in and stood attentively. Stella tried to listen to what they were saying, but she couldn't understand what Simon and Jake were saying.

After a few more minutes, Simon and Jake walked out of the room. Simon glanced back at Stella and signaled her to come, and she followed him quickly. The three walked to the front door, where Simon said, "Well, Jake, it was nice for you to come! Come again, please!"

Jake flashed a confident smile. "Of course, I'll come back!" he replied happily as he practically danced out the door. He turned around before the door closed and whispered, "Good night, Stella."

Stella frowned. What did they ask her at dinner? Maybe she shouldn't have said yes to anything they said.

Simon closed the door slowly. He turned back around toward Stella and asked, "Well, how do you like him? He's quite a charming young man, and I think he'd make a proper suitor for you, dear Stella!"

Stella frowned. He thought she liked him? But she couldn't say she didn't like Jake, otherwise she didn't know what Simon would do to her. Stella remembered clearly the last time she disagreed with Simon, he had beaten her with a club and locked her in a closet for three days. She gulped as she muttered, "He's okay."

Simon frowned with dissatisfaction. "What does that mean?" he inquired.

"He's alright. I mean, he's pretty cool."

"You didn't seem to pay much attention to him. What was wrong?"

"I don't know...I'm not feeling very well."

Simon continued to frown as he walked her up a set of stairs and then to her room. "Well," he mumbled, "I guess you should just get some rest. Are you feeling dizzy, or is your stomach hurting? I'll send up a maid to check you out. Just get undressed and get in bed. Do you need anything? A glass of water maybe? Hopefully you'll feel better in the morning. I'll be back up in a few minutes to check on you with a maid. Alright?"

Stella nodded with dull eyes. "Okay."

After Simon had walked away down the hallway, Stella slipped into her room quietly and shut the door. She turned on a bright light in the room and carefully slipped off her light pink dress and bejeweled necklace. Stella put on a hot pink night gown, turned on a lamp, turned out the lights, and crawled under the covers of a large bed. She waited patiently for Simon and the maid to come to her room.

After a few minutes of waiting, Simon and the maid came into her room. Simon stayed just a minute telling the maid what to do.

"Please find out what's making her feel bad and do everything to make her feel better," Simon told the maid before exiting the room.

The maid turned toward Stella and felt her forehead. She remarked, "You don't have a fever. Why don't you feel well?"

"I just feel somewhat dizzy," Stella mumbled as she glanced down at herself.

The maid looked at Stella and said, "I overheard your conversation at the front door with your father. He asked you if you liked that Jake guy, right? You didn't look as if you really liked him. I know I don't like him, and if Simon asks me, I'll tell him that I don't like him. He's sort of scary. Are you telling the truth when you say that you like Jake?"

"No," Stella whispered. "I don't like him at all. I like another hamster, but I don't even know his name and I've only seen him once."

"Oh?" the maid asked with interest.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "You know the newspaper article on the front cover? The black hamster? I like him."

The maid frowned slightly. "You like a criminal mastermind?" she inquired with interest. "And you said the black hamster? Which one?"

"Hmm...he had brown eyes, and he was very tall, and he had a very deep voice..."

"Are you talking about the Bad Ham leader, Mike?"

"...Yeah, that's him!" Stella's eyes sparkled. "Do you know anything about him?"

The maid shrugged slightly. "I only know that he's a vicious criminal that would do nothing but harm you and that your father would never allow you close enough to even say 'hi' to him! But, you never know..."

"But I was there in the shop when he robbed it!" Stella shouted. "He threatened the clerk, and he even hit the clerk with his gun... But anyhoo, he ran past me, and I think he looked at me! Sigh, he was so cute... I was really hoping that Father would stop him and ask him to be my suitor, but he was too busy talking to Jake." She rolled her eyes. "Maybe I might eventually run into him, and maybe Father might approve of him more than Jake..."

"Hmm...interesting version of a fairy tale," the maid remarked. "I'll be on the lookout for anything about him, but all I know is that he's the dictator of the Bad Hams, which, dear, you don't wanna get mixed with them. Trust me. They've killed hamsters before, they've tortured hamsters, they've kidnapped hamsters and killed them, they've even robbed some of the richest hamsters in the community! Dear Stella, I don't want you to get mixed up with them really. But, if you have to...I'll help you."

Stella smiled slightly as she thought of what the Bad Hams looked like. Maybe they looked like the other two hamsters that the black hamster-Mike?-was with. She thought she heard them referred to the Numbers before. Stella could have sworn she had heard a bit about them from hamsters she knew. She just _knew_ that she'd seen something about them before...

"Well, thanks for telling me all you knew," Stella remarked as she smiled brighter.

The maid nodded. "Good night, Stella," she whispered as she turned out the lamp and walked out of the room.

END OF FLASBACK

Stella remembered that night clearly. She was lying down on the bed with her eyes closed. She remembered how she had felt then about the Bad Hams, that they were so amazing, so charming, so...bad. Stella remembered all her life she had always wanted to be a criminal mastermind, and she remembered how she dreamed of what it was like. It was a bit awkward to remember it now that she was one.

She sat up and pulled her suitcase out from underneath the bed. Stella set the suitcase out in front of her and unlatched it. She took out the laptop and turned it on. Stella read the clock, which said it was almost noon, which was what she thought. She turned off the laptop and uninterestedly rummaged through her suitcase.

Stella sorted her ribbons which were disorganized when she had abruptly thrown it under the bed the night before. With bored eyes, she rummaged through all of the unused pockets of her suitcase. When she least expected it, Stella felt a hard, square picture frame at the bottom of an unemployed pocket. She frowned and took it out carefully. She gasped and almost dropped the picture frame.

Inside the picture frame was a picture of her and Mike at Christmas time. Stella stared at it and remembered all that happened at that time. She had gone through everything to figure out what to get him for Christmas, and Stella also had been caught under the mistletoe with Mike. She blushed brightly as she remembered the precious memories, which also brought back memories of Roger, Becky, Caitlin, and the Numbers. She smiled as she remembered.

"Having fun, Stella?"

Stella turned pale as she fleetly shoved the picture frame in her suitcase. She hadn't realized anyone else was in the room. Jake was in the room with his no-name friend, and he was staring at her. She stared back at him with questioning eyes.

Jake inquired, "What were you looking at, Stella?"

"Uh...," Stella mumbled. "...Nothing. Nothing at all."

Jake nodded and rolled his staring eyes. He asked, "Do you need anything at all?"

Stella glanced down at the floor and muttered, "I am hungry, I must say..."

Jake grabbed her paws and stood her up. Stella had to grit her teeth to keep from kicking him in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. He led her out of the room and into the small dining room again. The off-whiteness of the room seemer more off-white than normal, but maybe it was because it was dark in the room. Stella frowned. It had to be raining outside, unlike yesterday, where it had seemed to shine until the dark of the night came. Jake pulled out the chair again, and Stella sat down in it. She watched him as he ran into the other room again.

Stella stared at Jake's voiceless and nameless friend as he stood at the doorway, where he usually stood. He just watched her with silence in his eyes. Stella wondered if anyone had given him a name before. She wondered if he even knew his past. Stella held in doubt if he knew a world other than being around Jake. She knew she did.

When Jake came back with a basket of sunflower seeds, Stella kept on wondering about Jake's no-name friend. Jake watched her with interest in his eyes as she nibbled on the sunflower seeds and kept on looking at the dark brown hamster.

After Stella finished the last seed in the basket, she stood up out of the chair and walked over to the dark brown hamster. She whispered, "Dear, what's your name?"

The dark brown hamster stared at Stella and mouthed a word. She looked at him with interest and whispered, "Could you write it down?"

"But he doesn't know how to write!" Jake remarked. "He can't!"

The dark brown hamster nodded and grabbed Stella's paw. He grabbed a pen from the table and wrote 'I was never given a name' on Stella's paw. She looked at it and whispered, "Do you want me to give you one?" She knew she wasn't supposed to like anyone in this place, but she did feel sorry for the nameless hamster.

He nodded with a starry look in his eyes. Stella thought a minute and said, "How about I name you Jamie?"

The dark brown hamster nodded with satisfaction. Jake stared for a minute before he puffed up his cheeks and retorted, "I was supposed to name him!"

"Well, too frickin' bad," Stella returned sharply as she walked down the hallway and back into the room she was in.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Rain

With Caitlin, Natsu, Megan, and Chad...

"_Ack_, it's _raining_!" Chad shouted as he thrust his paws over his head. "_Hurry_ up, _Shoxxi_ gals!"

"Shut UP!" Megan shouted. "You've said the same thing over and over for the past twenty minutes! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, STUPID!"

Caitlin sighed as they entered a small restaurant. The three girl hams and Chad were soaking wet. After they were seated, Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked into the bathroom to dry off.

"I swear, I am about to tear his head off!" Megan shouted with anger.

"Well, tear his head off after we find Jake," Natsu replied.

"Yeah, that'd prolly be best," Caitlin remarked. She realized her black dye was coming out from the rain, and Megan and Natsu's dye was coming out too. "Anyone got the dye?"

"I do," Megan said as she pulled it out of her guitar.

"You keep black dye in there?" Natsu asked.

"Heck yeah," Megan responded as she put more dye on her fur and in her hair. Caitlin and Natsu also did the same.

The three girl hams walked out of the bathroom after they had dried off. Caitlin suddenly turned pale as she looked at the entrance of the restaurant. There was Mike with Roger and Becky entering the restaurant.

"What should we do?" Caitlin inquired as she pointed at the three other Bad Hams. "They'll rip Chad to pieces!"

"That's actually good," Megan whispered.

Mike glanced over at the three girl hams and scolded, "Hey, you're supposed to be out there looking! Not here!"

"You are, too, butthead," Megan retorted.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Why are you so incooperative?" he returned.

"It's not that I'm incooperative...I just don't take crap from anybody," she responded.

Chad looked up from the table and remarked, "_Oh_, _Shoxxi_ gals, who's _that_? Who's _that_? Can _I meet them_? Can _I meet them_?"

Roger looked over at Caitlin and mumbled, "Who eez thaat?"

"Oh, he's just some retard following us around," Caitlin replied, thinking that if she told them who Chad was, they would scare him into not telling them anything.

Roger nodded. "He lewks annoyeeng...," he mumbled.

"He's very annoying," Megan muttered. "I blew my cool at him earlier."

Chad walked up to the three girl hams. "_Who are they? Can I meet them? PLEASE?!_"

"NO!" Megan shouted at him and knocked him on the head with her fist. "SHUT UP!"

"HA HA!" Natsu laughed and pointed at Chad.

Mike rolled his eyes and muttered to Roger and Becky, "Let's get out of here before we're infected by idiot-itis or emphasize-itis." Roger and Becky nodded as they followed Mike out of the small restaurant.

Caitlin turned to Chad. "Dude, did you suck in a quart and a half of helium or something?"

"What _is helium_?" Chad inquired.

"This guy's an idiot!" Natsu shouted. "First, he didn't know what gravity was, and now he doesn't know what helium is! And he most likely sucked a quart or so..."

"What _is a quart_?" Chad inquired with interest in his voice.

"NEVER MIND!" Megan shouted at him. "Didn't they make you go to school?!"

"Who _is they_?" Chad asked.

"GAH!" Caitlin shouted as she fell down anime style. "This guy is hopeless!"

The waitress walked over to the four hamsters and inquired loudly, "Are you ready to order?"

"_Yes, ma'am!_" Chad replied.

Caitlin glanced over at the other two girl hams and thought, _This is going to be a while..._

With Stella later that day...

Stella continued going through all of her pictures on her laptop. Every picture had a memory hidden in them. She knew Mike didn't know she was in trouble; she just knew it. She knew Mike probably didn't remember anything about Jake, and she definately knew he didn't know her history with Jake.

She still inquired herself why everything happened the way they did. Stella wondered why pain had been throbbing through her heart for the past two days. She looked for an answer, and continued looking at the pictures.

Stella stared at a picture of her and Mike for about ten minutes without looking away. She knew why pain was throbbing. She would never see Mike again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Continuing Jake's Story

With Jake...

FLASHBACK

Jake's heart was pounding. His eyes were wide with worry, and he knew he couldn't back down now. Tonight was the night to go over to Simon and that beautiful girl hamster's house for dinner. He swallowed hard as he paced around a small living room.

An abnormally short blond and white hamster watched as he sprawled on the couch. A very bulky, dark brown hamster just stood in the doorway watching. These two hamsters seemed to be Jake's closest friends.

"Chad, what do I do?!" Jake inquired as he turned toward the blond and white hamster.

The hamster named Chad shrugged. "_I_ say _ask questions_ and talk _a lot_, like _me_!" he remarked in a very obnoxious voice.

The dark brown hamster drooled. He seemed to be very mindless.

Jake nodded. "I guess I could try that," he mumbled.

"Is _she really_ pretty?" Chad asked.

"Oh, she's a beauty queen!"

"_Hmm_...what _time_ are _you going over there_?"

"Six."

"_Ah_. Look nice _actually_, Jake. You _don't_ wanna _scare _anyone _else_."

"You sayin' I'm scary, Chad?"

"_No, not at all!_ People _just say_ that."

"Stupid sons of bitches, they are."

After a while, Chad went home. The dark brown hamster didn't leave since he lived with Jake. Jake was too busy making himself look good to realize Chad had left, but he did notice it was quieter in the house right after he left.

"Oh, Chad left," Jake mumbled as he looked back into the living room.

When it was about fifteen minutes until six, Jake rushed out of the house shouting to the dark brown hamster, "Good bye, big friend! I'm be back later, don't you worry!"

Jake looked back at his house. It was a sane-looking house with a neat lawn. He had spent all of his spare time when he first moved in making the lawn and garden perfect. Jake remembered that after he made his house look nice, hamsters from the street were always walking up to the house and looking in, so he had put a thick canvas over the windows from the inside. He sighed as he raced down the sidewalk beside the road.

When he got to the end of the street with a road sign that said 'Brach Street', Jake raced as fast as he could toward the place where Simon had told him to go the day before. He was beginning to sweat by the time he came to a rich neighborhood, and Jake gulped slowly as he walked to the end of the street.

Jake saw a huge house at the end of the street that was purely indescribable. The walls were stucco and stone, and it had a landscape that was right up next to the house. Jake took a deep breath before he climbed a set of steps and rang the doorbell.

As soon as the door opened, Simon came out of the doorway greeting Jake. "Good to see you, Jake!" Simon greeted. He was in a very fancy suit, and Jake was slightly embarrassed that he hadn't worn anything special.

Jake was led inside quickly with Simon. Simon took him down a long hallway into a large parlor. Jake's eyes widened when he saw the bewitching girl hamster in a long, light pink dress with a necklace made of moonstones sitting delicately on the couch. He watched as she kept on reading the newspaper, not even knowing he nor Simon had entered the room.

The girl hamster glanced up and set down the newspaper. Simon spun around toward her and exclaimed, "Why, you finally finished that article! I'm sorry, Jake, that we had to wait until she finished reading..."

"It's alright," Jake said as he blushed.

Simon nodded slightly as he walked over to the girl hamster. "Jake, I want you to meet my daughter, Stella. Stella, this is Jake."

"Hi," the girl hamster, Stella, said with a frown.

"Hi, Stella," Jake replied as he slightly blushed.

Jake didn't remember much of what happened afterward. He remembered he did finally sit down in a chair and talked to Simon. Jake couldn't even hear what Simon said for the most part. He just kept on staring at Stella, never blinking once...

Jake remembered answering questions and lots of them, too. He talked with such proficiency in his voice, and he was trying to be flawless. Jake remembered following Simon into a dainty dining room and eating, but he didn't remember much else. He just continued watching Stella with his restless eyes.

Simon looked over at Jake with interest in his eyes. "So, you like my daughter, don't you?" he inquired, almost as if he read Jake's mind.

Jake automatically nodded without thinking about what Simon asked. "She's beautiful..."

Stella was glancing around the room with wandering eyes. She seemed not to be listening to anything. Jake was wondering what she was thinking about.

"I'm looking for a suitor for her, you know." Simon's voice broke up Jake's thoughts.

"Oh?" Jake said with interest as he focused his full attention on Simon.

Simon nodded. "Stella is a very fine young lady, you know. She seems to like the confident and brave guys, don't you, Stella?" He glanced over at his daughter.

With distant and impractical eyes, Stella nodded without exactly what she was agreeing to.

Jake cleared his throat and remarked in his most masculine voice, "I'm brave, and I'm confident of myself." He tried not to show that he was actually not that brave or confident.

Simon looked at Jake with interest in his eyes. "Oh, so you are? You would make a grand suitor for Stella. Would you like to, you know, maybe marry her? If so, I'll think on it."

Jake's eyes brightened up, and he exclaimed, "I would _LOVE_ to marry your daughter! Oh, I would be the best husband...we'd have lots of kids...I'd make lots of money...people would stop being mean...and maybe I could become President of the US of A!"

"I doubt that...," Simon muttered.

"Well, maybe I couldn't be President, but the rest of the stuff would happen! And I'd make sure Stella got nowhere _near_ those bad guys running around town! You know, the Bad Hams? Yeah, them. I'd cream that guy's face in if he came near my Stella! Maybe I would kill them...but that doesn't matter unless they come near her. You know, that leader of theirs, along with two other members, robbed that store yesterday. Yeah, we were in it at that time, too. I didn't know it until my friend Chad told me earlier today! Wow, you know what? If I had seen that guy at the store, I would have gone after him! Well, anyhow...what do you think of those Bad Ham dudes?"

"Hmm...Jake, I'm not sure. I heard they were some of the worst criminal masterminds that Hamster City has seen." Simon looked out the window. "I heard their leader has robbed many of the hamsters in this neighborhood, and he's killed a few, too. I knew some of them. They weren't the best rich snobs I met, but they're not the worst either. I'm afraid he might rob me someday...of everything. That's why I'm trying to get Stella to marry so she won't be in trouble anymore. I know, she's a bit young, but she's mature enough! I'm thinking about making you her suitor. By the sound of it, I think you would like that."

Jake nodded eagerly. "Oh, I would! I would love to marry your daughter! That'd be so grand...don't you think? Yes, I do!"

Simon smiled slightly with true happiness.

Jake glanced over at a clock on the wall. He turned pale as it read it was about ten o'clock at night. He turned toward Simon again and remarked, "Oh my, I have gotta go in a few minutes!"

Simon nodded. "I guess," he remarked as he got up from the table. "Come along now!"

Jake got up and followed Simon to the door of the dining room. He turned toward Stella and signaled for her to come. Stella seemed to come back from her thoughts and walked over to them.

After chatting a bit about why Jake had to leave, which was because he had to tend to the dark brown hamster, the three hamsters walked to the door of the house. Simon flashed a smile and remarked, "Well, Jake, it was nice for you to come! Come again, please!"

Jake flashed a confident smile and replied happily, "Of course, I'll come back!" When the door was about to close, he whispered, "Good night, Stella."

Once the door closed, Jake happily floated in the air. He had won the girl of his dreams, or he thought he had. He happily walked all the way home in the darkness of the night, and there was only the moonlight and the streetlights there to help him. Once Jake got to the end of Brach Street where there was the sign, he used the payphone to tell Chad the news. Chad seemed to be happy for him with a bit of jealousy in his voice. When Jake got back to his house, the dark brown hamster was asleep on the dining room table with a box of cereal in his paws. Jake smiled and retreated to his room for the night.

END OF FLASHBACK

Jake lied on the couch as he listened to the rain fall against the roof of his house. He related it to the sound of his heart swelling up and breaking into many pieces. His pain in his heart hadn't ceased since he saw Stella at her father's funeral. Jake knew that he was the one who was supposed to be her suitor, so why didn't she just accept it?

_Sigh, maybe Chad's right...hamsters do think I'm pretty weird,_ Jake thought to himself. _I hear that Bad Ham leader is pretty brave and confident, like I said I was, but I'm not like him. It's natural for him to be brave and stand up for what he believes in. It's unnatural for me to fight strongly, but I'm starting to get used to it. I mean, don't I have to fight with Stella? Why doesn't anyone like me?_

Jake looked at the window with canvas over it. He glanced at the window sill of it and saw a paint scraper. Jake carefully picked it up slowly and felt all the pain that swelled and had burst in his heart. He held his wrist out and slowly rasped it. Jake kept on cutting his wrist and arm until the dark brown hamster, who was now nicknamed also Jamie, saw him and took the paint scraper from him. Jake screamed at him and reached for it, but the hamster tossed the paint scraper across the room and kept Jake from getting it. He seemed to mouth something, but, of course, he didn't have a larynx, so the only thing that could have been heard was Jake's screaming.

Jake pulled himself away and screamed, "Why doesn't she like me? I love Stella, but she _hates_ me!!! Why, why, WHY?!"

The dark brown hamster watched Jake with a helpless look on his face as Jake threw himself down on the ground. The rain kept on beating on the rooftop, and it seemed to increase every second. Spasmodic tears rolled down Jake's face as he continued to scream at himself. He even tried to get the paint scraper back, but the brown hamster put the paint scraper atop of a high surface. He waited for Jake to get over his fit, and it only took a few minutes until Jake finally calmed down again.

Jake shook his head and sat up. He stared up at the dark brown hamster and stood up. Jake continued to shake his head with his head in his paws as he walked out of the room. The dark brown hamster followed him into the dining room where he sat down. The hamster put bandages on Jake's arms where Jake had scraped himself with the paint scraper and left Jake alone.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Compromising

With Caitlin, Natsu, Megan, and Chad...

"God, can you just finish up your lunch so we can GO?!" Megan shouted at Chad. It had been two hours since they had gotten their food, and Chad hadn't even started he was talking so much.

Chad nodded as he looked down at his lunch. "_Well, fine, then_."

"And you haven't told us anymore about the wedding...," Natsu mumbled.

"_Ah_, the _wedding_. Is that _why we _came to _chat_? I'm _sorry_, _Shoxxi_ gals, I _forgot_ that's _why_ we _came_. _I_ shall _tell_ you _all_ you want. Just _ask_ me a _question_."

"Well, uh...," Caitlin murmured, "...we need to know where it is."

"_Why?_ Are _you_ wanting to _come_?"

"Uh...yeah! That's right."

"_Well_, I _will_ invite _you_, _but you must do me a favor_..."

"Say it."

"_You, Cait Shoxxi, have to go as my **girlfriend**._"

"...!!!"

"_What?_"

"I'm married, though!"

"_So?_"

"Natalie is, too, and I'm **_not_** going with **_you_** when I have a husband. Now, Dilla isn't married though."

"_Fine then_." Chad turned to Megan, who's face was bursting with anger and embarrassment, and said, "_You_ go as **_my girlfriend_**."

Megan glared at Caitlin and snarled, "You make him get onto me, and I frickin' hate him because he's so frickin' annoying, but I might as well go with him, if it's for our sake."

"_YA YAY!_" he shouted with joy in his voice. "_I_ have a _girlfriend_ to _go_ to a _wedding_ with!"

"And I'm gonna kick someone's ass later...," Megan mumbled.

Caitlin grinned nervously and remarked, "Heh heh heh..."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Disagreements

With Stella...

Stella paced in a corner of the room. She had heard the fit that Jake had had, and she didn't much like it. Stella was somewhat glad she wasn't involved in his fit.

"Sigh...what do you do, Stella?" Stella asked herself. "Why don't you just tell him the facts, Stella? Why don't you tell him you're not gonna marry him because you don't love him, Stella? Why don't you just tell him that you like Mike, Stella?"

Stella glanced toward the window with the canvas over it. She heard the pouring rain beat against the window like shattering glass. Stella remembered what it was like outside the night that she left the Bad Hams Place, and it made her reflect on everything.

She walked toward the window and whispered, "I'm missing home...but my hope is low because I know Mike doesn't know what's going on..." Stella gulped and held back her tears. "Mike... Dear Mike, I just want you to do one thing for me...save me."

Stella came back to her senses when she heard a knock on the door. She spun around quickly toward the door, and it opened contiguously. Jake appeared in the doorway, and he signaled for her to come. Stella weakly walked over to him and followed him out the door and down the hallway.

When the two had come to the living room, Jake sat on the couch. Stella stood for a moment in the middle of the room before sitting back in a chair. Jake watched her as she began thinking again.

Stella finally made up her mind about what to do. She walked over to Jake and sat down on the floor in front of him. Stella took a deep breath and sighed. She looked up at Jake with her watery, silver eyes and whispered, "Jake."

Jake glanced down at Stella. "Yes, Stella?"

"Jake, how many days left is it?"

"Four days left."

"Well, yea..."

"What about it?"

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that...I'm not marrying you."

"...What?"

"You can't make me marry you. I won't."

"Stella, you don't understand...I asked your father-"

"MY FATHER'S DEAD! PLUS, IT'S **_YOU_** WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND! I DON'T LIKE YOU! I LIKE MIKE!"

"Stella, Stella, Stella..." Jake shook his head as tears streamed down Stella's face. "If you think this is a game...it's not. Besides, if it was a game, I've already won."

Stella didn't understand this Jake guy at all. She screamed at him, "NO! I WON'T MARRY YOU!"

Jake shook his head with a look of concern. "It's already planned. It's been planned for a long time."

"But you can't make me!" Stella sobbed. "I won't marry you, I won't support you, I won't bear you any children, I won't ever love you, I won't let you get away with this, and I won't get over it!!!"

Jake frowned as he watched Stella bury her face in her paws and practically bawl her eyes out. He shook his head as he reclined on the couch. "Correction: You will marry me, you will support me, you will bear children, you will love me, you will let me get away with this, and you will get over this."

"**_NEVER!!!_**" Stella screamed. "I don't love you! I don't love you! I don't love you!!! I love Mike, don't you see? He's who I admire, and I've admired him since he robbed that store! Don't you see?!"

Jake grew red in the face and barked, "Your father never liked the Bad Hams! And I don't like them either! They're nothing but trouble on the streets!"

"Do I look like I CARE what my father thinks? I don't even LIKE my father!"

Jake shook his head again. He whispered, "You know, you never expected me to come after you, did you? Well, Stella, look...I've come out of my hole to come get you, and your dear Bad Ham leader hasn't come yet. Do you suspect he'll ever come, or has he fallen in love already with someone else?"

Stella stopped her thoughts and glanced up at Jake with tears cascading down her cheeks. She shook her head and screamed, "Mike loves me and only me! He cares for all the Bad Hams, but I **_know_** he'll never like Becky as much as me! Mike understands me, and he knows I love him, and I know he loves me! He even told me so!"

Jake curled his lip and retorted, "If he loves you so much...Why the hell is he not here?"

"Mike doesn't know anything about you! I've told him my past, but I excluded you! I've never wanted him to know about you because...I've never liked you enough to mention your name!"

Jake smirked and returned, "Well, Stella, I think now it only matters what I think...and I like you a lot. Well, I love you, Stella. You hate me. Sigh, is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to breathe? I'd like to know. Everyone might think I'm a freak that likes to stay in his shell, but I'm really not. They just see me in that point of view. After I marry you, everyone will love me, including **you**."

Stella shook her head violently and screamed, "NOOOOO!!!" She ran out of the living room with her face in her paws, and she ran toward the entrance, where ever that was. Jake ran after her after shouting to his no name friend, and the dark brown hamster pursued her. Stella continued running, but she realized she came to a dead end when she came to an abrupt stop at the very end of a hallway. She screamed and sank to the floor miserably as Jake and the hamster walked up to her, lifted her up off the floor, and took her back to the room where she stayed. Stella wouldn't even look at Jake by the time he left her alone in the room.

Stella stayed motionless in the place where Jake had left her inside the room, which was on the bed. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to live through this nightmare. Stella just wanted to see Mike, to hear his voice, and for him to hold her close. She wanted Mike to beat the tar out of Jake with his bare paws. Stella sat up with tears still flowing down her face, screamed, "I HATE YOU!!!", and thrust her face in a pillow.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Confessions

With Caitlin, Natsu, Megan, and Chad...

"_Well, Shoxxi_ gals, _I_ have _got_ to _go_," Chad remarked as the four hamsters exited the restaurant four hours after they had entered. It was barely raining by now.

"Thank you, Lord," Megan muttered under her breath.

Caitlin giggled and whispered, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"It's the truth," Natsu whispered back.

"Shall _we_ get _together again_ tomorrow?" Chad inquired.

"Uh, yeah, sure...," Caitlin mumbled. "That'd be grand. Just hurry up with lunch, for Heaven's sake!"

"_Alright, alright_." Chad winked. "See ya _tomorrow, Shoxxi_ gals!" He walked away down the sidewalk and looked back twice before going out of sight.

"THANK YOU, LORD!" Megan shouted once Chad was out of range. "The stupid enthusiastic idiot is gone!"

Caitlin giggled and remarked, "Tootru."

"We probably need to tell Mike what little we found out," Natsu said. "That guy goes on forever about nothing!"

"Oh, that's the truth!" Caitlin exclaimed. "What was he talking about?"

"There's no telling," Megan remarked. "Let's just go find Mike now. You think they're in the park since it's way after lunch time?"

"I guess," Natsu mumbled. "That's probably where we'd find them."

"Well, ham gals, AWAY!" Caitlin shouted as she ran down the sidewalk.

Natsu and Megan glanced at each other and muttered, "Riiight, CC, riiight..."

Once in the park...

Caitlin looked around at the park. The rain had stopped, but it still looked gloomy. Natsu and Megan were right behind Caitlin as they walked around the park looking for Mike.

When they reached the red Merry-Go-Round, where Caitlin almost burst like a balloon because of a memory of it, the three girl hams saw Mike's black Lamborghini parked underneath it. There were a few of the Numbers surrounding it talking in solemn, low tones.

Caitlin walked up to the few Numbers and remarked, "Hashaa, where's Mike?"

"That's what we wanna know," one of the Numbers, Number 5 said.

"You don't know where he went?" Natsu asked.

"Not a clue," Number 12 replied.

"Wow, there's a Snot Almighty on the loose," Megan said.

Caitlin nodded and remarked, "Where's everyone else?"

"They went to find Mike," Number 8 responded. "And they went...that way." He gestured toward the swingset on a nearby hill.

Caitlin nodded and whispered, "Thankies. Let's go, ham gals!"

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked toward the swingset, and there they saw Roger and Becky and a few more of the Numbers. They still had no idea where Mike was.

"Oh, I'm SO worried!" Becky said in a worried tone.

"Laaast time I saw heem, he waas walkeeng around zee park," Roger remarked in his French accent.

Caitlin nodded slowly. "Let's split up, y'all... I'll go that way..." Caitlin pointed ahead of her. "Natsu, you go that way..." She pointed left of her. "And, Megan, you go that way..." She pointed to the right.

"Alright," Megan said as she walked to the right. Natsu shrugged and walked toward the left. Caitlin walked straight ahead.

After a few minutes of walking, Caitlin came to a row of bushes. She thought she heard a bush rustle, but she thought it was just the wind. After listening to the bush for a minute, Caitlin heard low murmurs coming from inside the bush. She shook her head and slowly walked into the bush.

Once she walked a ways into the bush, she heard a low, deep voice talking. Caitlin listened in closely to what it said.

"Sigh...it's your fault, and you know it. Oh, why the heck did you get into that fight between those two? Maybe none of this would've happened...hif...if you just kept your nose out of it...hif..."

Caitlin recognized the voice. It was Mike's. She edged closer toward where she heard his voice. Caitlin finally saw Mike after a minute, but there was one thing that Mike was doing that half surprised and half frightened her...

He was crying.

Caitlin gasped. She had never seen Mike get actually close to being depressed. Caitlin watched Mike as he snatched a piece of grass and wiped his eyes. She knew that Mike had only cried once in his life, but this made the second time.

Caitlin felt her heart transform. She knew there was something under Mike's surface now. She decided to leave him alone, so she stepped back, but while stepping back, she stepped on a twig and broke it in half...

Mike spun around quickly. Caitlin froze; she had been caught. She tried to run out of the bush, but the bush's twigs caught onto her. Mike jumped up, ran over to Caitlin, spun her around, and hissed, "Cait, what the hell are you doing here?"

Caitlin gulped and whispered, "Well, the Bad Hams were looking for you..."

Mike frowned as he glared at Caitlin. "Oh yeah, I wasn't crying...there was just something in my eye..."

"...And I'm supposed to believe someone who's lied to my hubby?"

".......I didn't lie."

"Oh, yes, you did."

"...OKAY, I ADMIT!"

Caitlin shook her head. "Mike, I know why you're upset. And you're gonna be more upset by the time I finish telling you everything I just found out."

Mike looked up with his eyes burning bright. "What now?"

Caitlin told Mike about everything she knew, and she watched his expression change from depression to rage. He turned away from Caitlin and whispered, "So, he plans to marry my girl? I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch when I find him..."

"Ooooo," Caitlin mumbled. "Just one thing...we don't know where the heck he is. And what if Chad double-crosses us and leads us somewhere else? We've got to be careful..."

Mike sighed and sat down on a patch of grass. "Caitlin-Chan, I don't even know if I'll even be able to win without her... I mean I only robbed and killed hamsters with purpose before I met Stella, and then after I met her, I started robbing and killing hamsters passionately with her... I don't know if I'll be able to win a fight for her back without her..."

"MIKE! GET YOURSELF TOGETHER!!!" Caitlin shouted in his ear. "You're a big ham now!"

"....GOD! You sound like the retard you are when you say that." Mike flashed a kind smile with a look in his eyes that said, "You know, you can be helpful at times other than for information."

Caitlin slightly smiled back and whispered, "You know, you're not that bad."

Mike smiled more brightly and said, "You're not that much of a retard either, come to think of it. You're actually pretty smart but not as smart as me." He winked. "Heh, if this Chad guy talks as much as he does about nothing, you must be exhausted. I know I am. How about we go back to our place and try to decipher this info that we got so far? That way you can rest for a while."

Caitlin smiled with a content connotation. "Well, if you want."

Mike nodded and stood up. He led Caitlin out of the bush, and the two Bad Hams went back to the swingset, where there was Natsu and Megan since they couldn't find Mike where they went. The rest of the Bad Hams were also there.

"Mikey!!!" Becky exclaimed as she ran over to him and hugged him.

Mike blushed and remarked, "You all act as if Hell had struck! I was just off doing my own thing _by myself_. As CC said, I'm a big ham now." He winked.

Caitlin gasped. Mike had called her "CC". She blushed bright red as she whispered, "Hehe."

Mike turned away from the Bad Hams and remarked, "Let's move out! We're done for the day!"

"Were we successful?" Number 1 inquired.

Mike turned around with a big grin on his face. "Yes, we were," he replied with confidence.

Later with the Bad Hams...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan entered with the rest of the Bad Hams into the enormous front room of the place where they stayed. They had been told to go to rest for a while, and then at seven, they were to have dinner in the dining hall.

"What time is it?" Natsu murmured as the three ham girls climbed up the stretching stairs slowly.

Megan looked around. "I think it's about...um...maybe six or six thirty?"

"Maybe," Caitlin replied with fatigue showing in her voice.

Once the three girls had gotten to their room, they plummeted down on the bean bag chairs immediately. Caitlin leaned back and almost fell off it while doing that while Megan fell asleep immediately and Natsu rolled off her bean bag.

"Looks like you all are exhausted," a voice said from the doorway.

Caitlin looked up, and behold, there was Mike. He leaned up against the door frame and knocked on it. "Can I come in, CC?" he inquired.

Caitlin blushed. "Sure," she whispered.

Mike sauntered in and stood over Caitlin. "Well, I just wanted to come and tell you a few things...," Mike remarked. "First, don't tell _anyone_ what happened at the park. Well, I think you already knew that if you told a soul that I would literally chop off all your fingers one by one and then make you eat them, and yes, I've done that before. Second, don't tell that Chad guy _anything_ that might make him retract his offer. Alright, CC?"

Caitlin nodded. "Alright," she whispered.

Mike smiled with a light of contentness. "Well, dinner's in about an hour, so be sure to come down ten minutes before you're supposed to, but you already knew that." He winked again. "Well, I'll see you later." Mike turned around casually and walked out of the room.

Caitlin glanced over at Megan who was sleeping and Natsu who was just staring straight ahead at Caitlin. "He didn't know I was here, did he?" Natsu remarked.

"I don't believe."

Natsu looked her best friend in the eye and remarked, "You like him, don't you?"

"...EH?! I mean...EH?!?!?! Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"You have a crush on Mike, don't you?"

"Um, I'm married..."

"You have a crush on him, do you not?"

"...Maybe..."

"He called you CC. He normally only calls you Caitlin-Chan or Cait."

"...Maybe..."

"You like him now?"

"...Maybe..."

"That's a yes, isn't it?"

"...Maybe..."

"Is maybe a yes or a no?"

"...Maybe..."

Natsu sighed and glared at Caitlin. "Is it a yes or a no or I go get Becky and tell her you like Mike?"

Caitlin jumped and shouted, "It's a yes..."

Natsu snapped her fingers and whispered to herself, "I knew that'd work..."

Caitlin blushed slightly while glancing down at the floor. "That doesn't mean I like him more than Boss...," she whispered.

Natsu nodded. "I can't believe it...practically everyone but me likes Mike. Why do they like that idiot? That I'll never understand..."

Caitlin sighed. "I never said I liked him...I just think he's cute..."

"Riiight, CC, riiight...," a voice mumbled.

Caitlin glanced over at Megan who was watching her and Natsu. "You think Mike's _cute_, CC? Alright, I admit now...you DO need mental help," Megan remarked.

"Tootru...," Natsu murmured.

"I don't _like like_ him. I just said he was cute." Caitlin blushed mildly.

"Riiight, CC, riiight...," Megan and Natsu said in unison.

Megan mumbled, "Next you'll be saying that you like him, and then you'll say that you have a crush on him, and then you'll tell him that you like him, and then you'll snog with him, and then next thing you know..."

"...As if...," Caitlin retorted. "That sounds more like Bijou with Hamtaro."

"OOOH! Harsh!" Natsu giggled.

"Hehe...and no about the last three things. I don't think that's about to happen. I'm married, for Heaven's sake!"

"Heh...riiight...," Megan responded with a condescending tone.

Caitlin blushed violently and mumbled, "I don't like him...I just think he's cute."

"As I said, then you'll get stoned and you know what."

"...GAH! Bad image...," Natsu remarked.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Second Closing

Later...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan ran down the staircase in the entrance room. They had lost track of time, and it was five minutes until dinner was served. When they arrived with only one minute to spare, the maids were already coming out and serving the other Bad Hams. Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan sat down quietly at the table with Mike, Becky, and Roger.

Mike glanced over at Caitlin with a playful grin and remarked, "Lost track of time, didn't you?"

Caitlin nodded as she blushed slightly. "Yea..."

Megan and Natsu nudged Caitlin in the elbows and whispered, "Haha..."

With Stella...

"Hif...what did I do? Why me? Why not someone else? Hif, hif..."

Stella raised her head from the pillow she had thrust it in. It was completely dark in the room now, and the rain came down even harder now even though it seemed it couldn't rain any harder. Tears were still rolling down her face, but there were less now.

"Hif...I miss Mike... Why did I run away in the first place? It's all my fault...hif, hif..." Stella whispered with such low volume that she could barely hear herself.

Stella lowered her head again into the pillow. Contigueously, the door cracked open. She didn't look up but supposed it was Jake. Stella waited for him to say something, but by how long she waited, he would've said something by now if it were him.

Stella felt a large hamster sit down beside her. She felt it gingerly sit her up and bring her close to its side. Stella barely looked up, and she realized it was the voiceless and nameless hamster.

The hamster with no name brought out a white cloth. He wiped Stella's face off with the cloth and gave her a glass of water. Stella sniffled and slowly sipped on the water. She was wondering why the hamster had come into the room.

While still sipping on the water, Stella leaned closer toward the nameless hamster. She felt that he was actually sweet, but he was forced to do Jake's bidding. Stella knew that the hamster most likely cared for her and had a heart, unlike Jake.

Stella carefully handed the nameless hamster the glass back. She looked down at the ground and whispered, "Oh, Jamie, you've got to run someday from this place..."

The no name hamster looked sympathetically at Stella.

"You don't wanna be here, or do you?"

The voiceless hamster looked at Stella with a puzzled look.

"Hmm...ah welly..." Stella sighed as she sat in thought.

Her thoughts popped when she heard Jake's haunting voice shout, "Big Friend! No!! Bad Big Friend!" Stella looked up as Jake stood at the door of the room. He looked angered at the nameless hamster, and the nameless hamster jumped up and ran out of the room. Jake glared at Stella with a look that said "What the bloody hell did you just do?" and left the room while closing the door sharply behind him. Stella gritted her teeth angrily and said, "Well, just grand! Now I have three problems. Mike's not here, I'm stuck, and a voiceless hamster has run into the night."

Later with the Bad Hams...

Caitlin, Megan, and Natsu walked down one of the large hallways that made up the place where they stayed. Caitlin sighed as the group approached the staircase. Once the three girl hams had walked down the staircase, they paced into the dining room, where some of the Numbers and Mike were talking.

Mike glared at the three girl hams with malice. Megan frowned with a look of dissatisfaction, walked up to him, and smacked him right across the face. Mike paused stunned, and the Numbers that were present just stood there incredulous.

"What the bloody hell is YOUR problem?" Megan roared. She had totally lost all control of her anger, which could make her lethal.

"What do you mean, what the bloody hell is my problem?!" Mike shouted back. "You're the one who just slapped the future ruler of the world!"

"Now you listen here, and you listen _good._ I do hope we never have this little talk again." Megan began. "I realize you have all these uberly big dreams and such and think you're Mr. Hot and Whatnot, but you're really nothing! You are a nothing, and if it weren't for the loyal idiots at your side, you would live in a box. You're nothing but words and insults, and sorry to disappoint you, _King Mikey,_ but those aren't effective, they just make people mad.

"I joined the Bad Hams because I wanted to stick by my best friends and because I was sick of being such a goody-two-shoes with the Ham-Hams, not to suffer from verbal and emotional abuse."

"Bitch, once you're through with your little sermon you're gonna wish I did show you verbal abuse after what I'm going to do," Mike cut in.

Megan went on as if she didn't hear him. "Now listen, boyo. We are not your slaves, we are not your servants, we are not your employees, we are not your maids, and we are not the foremen in one of your mills that you can command. We are your friends and your partners in crime. You cannot go anywhere, do anything, or get anything if you're going to be a cruel, heartless, manipulative bastard, which is how you are right now.

"Everyone has been telling me that you and I are more alike than you and Stella, the 'Golden Couple Whose Relationship Is So Bleedin' Perfect'. I will have to agree that you and I are pretty similar. But I have a conscious mind, which means that I feel bad when I do horrible things to people or when I see people get hurt. If you really value me and my inquisitive mind, and Cait and Natalie too, then you need to be more sensitive and really think about it before you do or say or as you like to say, command it. We're not your servants, we're your friends. And friends don't treat other friends that way.

"Oh yeah, and two more things: I don't take bullshit from anyone or anything, no matter how much money they have or who their daddy was and I haven't yet shown you all that I am capable of physically and mentally." Megan finished and took a deep breath to calm herself. Her voice was hoarse from shouting at the top of her lungs and her knees were shaking so hard that she had to sink into a chair to keep from reducing to a puddle on the floor.

Mike scowled and shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk...," he muttered. "Girls. They never understand anything important. That's why I, a man of importance, am here."

"A man of importance? Please, Mike...," Caitlin mumbled as she sighed. "Why the heck do you want to take over the world anyhoo?"

"It's not really like you're gonna get anything out of it," Natsu added.

Mike shook his head with distaste. "You wouldn't understand. As I said, you're girls, and I'm a guy."

"Then what about Stella?" Caitlin challenged. "She's just like us, except more prissy, but that's alright. Anyone would be capable of seeing things in other people's views, and..."

"What does that have to do with this?" Megan inquired.

"I don't know... The point is...I don't know."

"Riiight... The point is that Mike needs to grasp a few concepts here, firstly being that he needs to learn how to really respect his fellow comrades, secondly that he needs to respect women and realize that some of the greatest minds in the universe have been those of women, thirdly he needs to realize that he is not the only person walking and breathing this planet and needs to think about other people, and if he doesn't, then I, Megan Fallon Lowe, aka Dilla Shoxxi, will knowingly and willingly beat him down."

"...Riiight..." Mike rolled his eyes. He pointed at the door and mumbled, "Get out of here."

Megan shook her head. "No, we don't want to. We should protest."

Mike grimaced and shouted, "Get the hell out of here before I make you leave!"

"Oh, really? Well, we're not leaving."

"Get out, you brats!"

"Brats? You should call yourself that. You need a spanking from your mama!"

"My mom's dead, FYI."

"So? Well, we're full grown women, we're strong, and judging by how red your face is, we slap pretty good, so we could do it."

"Get out, now!"

"Make us!"

Mike spun around toward the Numbers that were standing behind him and shouted at them, "Get them out of here!"

"What do we do with them?" one of the Numbers inquired.

"Just lock 'em in a cell for tonight. Now get them out!"

"Yes, sir!" the Numbers shouted in unison.

Caitlin and Natsu turned pale and started to back away while Megan stood her ground. She hissed at Mike and ran toward him, but two of the Numbers seized her by the wrists and yanked her out the door. Two more of the Numbers seized the other two girl hams and followed the other Numbers holding onto Megan. Megan bit and kicked one of them, and he let go. The other two girl hams were dragged to the front room, where they were dragged to the door where they weren't really allowed to go. The two Numbers holding onto them thrust open the door and dragged them in. Even the single Number holding onto Megan shoved her in barely. They were taken down a long, dark, and gloomy hallway that seemed to have no end. After a minute, one of the Numbers kicked open a door, and they practically threw the three girl hams in the door and locked the door behind them.

Caitlin got her balance back and glanced around. They were definitely in the prison. She muttered, "Well, this is just great...we're stuck in here for a night. This is one of the cells, isn't it?"

Natsu sighed and mumbled, "Well, at least it's just one night..."

"I am so sorry for getting you guys into this. You guys didn't deserve to suffer the consequences of my anger. I got fed up with Mike, and I'm sure you were too, but it didn't show as much. I have almost no control over my anger, and I really don't, but I have a feeling that if given the opportunity to take it back, I wouldn't. Someone needed to say that to Mike, and that happened to be me," Megan remarked.

Caitlin leaned back against what she thought was a wall and replied, "It's alright. We're stuck in a cell for a night, but that's alright."

"Everything's alright to you," Natsu pointed out.

"Uh..." Caitlin stood a minute. "Well, true..."

"So what do we do here?"

"I dunno... There's not much choice, is there?"

"Nope," Megan replied.

"Well, then, we just make up something." Caitlin glanced around the room and frowned. "Ehehe...not much to make up with, is there?"

"Nope," Megan and Natsu responded in unison.

Caitlin shrugged and said, "How 'bout we just sit here and have a staring contest?"

"...Alright, I guess," Natsu replied.

"Okay," Megan remarked.

Caitlin sat down on the floor and said, "Akay...1...2...3..."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Mike's Ultimate Plan

The subsequent morning...

"Having fun, CC?"

Caitlin shot up at once. Once she opened her eyes, she saw that Mike was in her face with a smirk on his face. Caitlin glanced around for Natsu and Megan, but they weren't there. Only she and Mike were in the cell.

"Where's Megan and Natsu?" Caitlin inquired.

Mike looked over at the door and remarked, "Oh, at one last night, I came in here to let you out, but you were sleeping, and Natalie and Dilla weren't, so we just left you there because we didn't want to wake you." He glanced back over at Caitlin. "It's eight right now. The other two are taking their showers hopefully, and now you should run along."

Caitlin shook her head and got up off of the cell's floor. She nodded to Mike and ran out of the cell. Caitlin ran down the dark hallway, which was now lit with torches, and to the door in which led to the front room. She opened it and ran up the grand staircase to the bathroom. Once she was inside the bathroom, she removed her lime green ribbons and took a shower.

A few minutes later, Caitlin was putting her hair back into pigtails with her lime green ribbons. She dyed it black again, and she glanced over at Natsu and Megan who were also dying their hair black.

"So, he let you out at one?" Caitlin broke the strange silence.

"Yeah, but you fell asleep at, like, twelve fourty-five, as usual," Megan responded.

Caitlin nodded as she popped her knuckles haphazardly. "So, it's almost nine, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Natsu replied as she slipped on her pair of gold-colored glasses.

After the girl hams finished up and walked down to the dining room, they sat down at the table with Mike, Roger, and Becky. There wasn't much talking in the room at all. Caitlin spun her knife like a baton while Megan strummed her guitar silently as Natsu twirled her hair around her fingers. Mike hadn't even looked over at the three girls, Roger was looking back and forth between Mike and the three girls and wondered why Mike wouldn't look at them, and Becky was playing games on a compact computer.

Caitlin set down her knife and remarked, "So, did you look into what I told you yesterday, Mike?"

Mike glanced up at her with his chocolate brown eyes. "About Jake? Not much. I didn't have much time last night because of you three." He shrugged. "If you could find out the location and the time and all, we could do this. If you can't, then this might not work out."

"What's 'this'?" Natsu inquired.

Mike got his familiar bright flames in his eyes. "My plan."

"What's 'Your Plan'?" Megan asked.

Mike glanced down and clenched his paws. He closed his daring eyes and responded, "I'm going to kill him. Slow, hellish, and harsh, too."

"Woot, I finally get to see Mike's killing process in action. How exciting." Caitlin rolled her eyes. "You're not serious, are you?"

Mike looked back up into her sapphire blue eyes. "I'm as serious as I could be. I'm going to go in there in front of however many people and I'm going to prevail. I'm going to murder him nonchalantly and remorselessly in front of them, too. And I'm going to make sure he's dead, also.

"See, I've a plan. You three are going to go with What's-His-Face into where ever, and then I shall have the Numbers surround the perimeter of the building, and I shall go in with Roger and Becky backing me up, and you three should mislead everyone until we get in there. Then I am going to find my target while shouting something threatening at everyone who dares move. Oh, and I'll be caring my 9-mm., one of my knives, and my six-ended whip with me. I'll also have you three keeping our dear audience that is watching under control. I'll go and kill this guy as slowly as I can. I'll tell you how I plan to kill him.

"First, I'm going to wear him down by ramming into him and sending him flying into the wall. Then I'm going to beat him for a few minutes with my whip before I throw my knife into his stomach and rip apart his organs while avoiding the ones that keep him alive. When he's clinging onto life barely, I'll put a bullet to his head with my 9-mm. Oh, and if that's not enough, I'll shoot him in the chest a few times to make sure he's dead."

Caitlin glanced at Megan and Natsu while whispering, "He's a real manslayer doing a real dowser, isn't he?"

Mike shrugged. "One time, I just stuck knives in a guy and left him to bleed to death in a forest."

"That's TMI," Megan muttered.

Mike continued, "I'll tell you what I'm going to do next. I'm going to go in front of our beloved audience and inquire if anyone else wants to challenge me. If someone raises their paw or whatever, I put a bullet to them too. Then I find Stella, and we get the hell out of that place before anyone gets a chance to alarm anyone else. Is it good, or do you think it's not bloody enough?"

"I think it's bloody enough personally...," Natsu mumbled.

Mike looked down at the floor. "I think I could add some more things, like more knives to stick him with or-"

"I really do think that's enough," Caitlin said with a sweatdrop rolling down the back of her head.

Mike shook his head. "I really don't know. I could duct tape his paws to a cinder block with only his fingers exposing and chop them off one by one. That would be harsh, no? I think it would be. But, as I said, it's supposed to be slow and harsh."

Caitlin glanced slowly over at Megan and Natsu. "You might as well kill him and then behead him."

"Good idea." Mike nodded convincingly.

"That's ironic...," Megan whispered.

"It's as ironic as what happened last night," Natsu replied.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Phone Convo

With Jake...

"No, Chad, I really don't think that's a good idea..." Jake's voice sounded burdened with distress.

"_C'mon_, Jake, they're _really good_ girls, and I'm _sure_ you would _LOVE_ to _meet_ them. _You can_ come with _us_ to lunch _today_," Chad responded with a lot of enthusiasm.

Jake was currently at the pay phone talking to Chad. He'd been talking to Chad about matters, and Chad had brought up Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan. He thought Jake would like to meet them at lunch later that day.

"I'm really not sure... I mean, did they seem a bit too interested? Plus, what did they look like?" Jake inquired.

"_Hmm... I'm _not _really_ sure. I _didn't_ pay _much attention_ to _those_ parts, _but_ they _did_ want to _know about_ the _wedding_."

"Maybe I ought to meet them and invite them to the wedding. Do you think Stella will like them? Maybe letting someone visit her will make her happy."

"_I_'m not _too_ sure _about that_, Jake. _You never know who they know_. _I would_ recommend _just_ meeting them and inviting them _to_ the _wedding_."

"...Are you saying they might know 'Him'?"

"_Yes, I am_."

"...What would we do if they did know him?"

"..._I don't know. But I do know that if they seem suspicious, don't invite them_."

"Sigh, but if they don't know 'Him' and we don't invite them, their feelings will get hurt. If they do know 'Him' and we don't invite them, they're going to try to find us. If they don't know 'Him' and we do invite them, they're going to be just fine. If they do know 'Him' and we do invite them, we've got to be prepared."

"_How_ would _we_ prepare? And _who is 'Him'_?"

"...Bad Ham Leader, Mike."

"_Ah_."

"Well, yeah, we've got to see if they do know 'Him', and if they do, we won't invite them. If they don't know him, we will invite them. Gosh, and if they know 'Him', they'll know who I am, and they'll tell 'Him'! The Bad Hams are very capable of killing hamsters in matters of seconds, and they'll come after me if they do know who I am. The Bad Hams will try to kill me...and they most likely will if they do know I did all this. I won't be able to get away, and I'll face death before my eyes! Sigh..."

"_Well_, you _are suicidal_, aren't _you_?"

"I told you not to bring that up."

"_Sorry... But_ if they _do try_ to _kill_ you, _merely kill yourself_."

"...How the hell is that supposed to help me?!"

"..._It_'s _just_ supposed to."

"It'd be like saying, 'Oh well. If I'm going to die anyway, I might as well just kill myself without trying.'! I'm going to fight for my life if they find me, and I won't give up."

"_Jake, I would carry a weapon to that wedding if I were you_."

"Hmm...the only weapon I got is a club on my wall. Our big friend put it up too high for me to reach so I wouldn't haphazardly take it down and commit suicide with it. I also got paint scrapers in my window sills, but those are used more for suicide than for homicide in my case... Chad, how am I supposed to kill a whole mob of hamsters when they're all trying to kill me? If they wanted to, they could grab onto my paws and feet and just run in different directions and rip me apart!"

"_Jake, you never know who is listening, and you might've given someone an idea._"

"Uh, well, sorry."

"_Say sorry to yourself. You might've given someone an idea of what to do to you._"

"Well...uh... Okay, what will I do if they come?"

"They _won't_ come, but _I still would_ carry a _weapon_."

"So, we see if those girl hams know them, and if they do, we don't invite them?"

"_Correct_."

"Alright, I'll meet you at that restaurant on the corner at exactly noon."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Sidewalks

With the Bad Hams...

Caitlin leaned up against the wall outside of the dining room. She, Natsu, and Megan were waiting for Mike to tell them what they were going to do for the day.

"Do you figure we'll get anything else out of Chad today?" Natsu asked.

"Maybe," Megan replied.

"If we try hard enough, that is," Caitlin added.

At that moment, Mike came walking down the hallway with vexation on his face. He came up to Caitlin and remarked, "I really do figure you should call your husband."

"...Why? What happened?" Caitlin's voice sounded with angst.

"You called him from one of our phones, right?"

"...Yes..."

"Well, you all must have Caller ID, which you do because I know practically everything about the clubhouse, because he keeps on trying to call us. You better thank God it says 'Unknown Caller' on the Caller ID instead of 'The Bad Hams'. He keeps on trying to call this number, and everyone knows, and I've had to keep the Numbers from answering the phone when he does call and telling him everything about you being a double agent. You better thank me, too."

Caitlin turned pallid. Boss had been trying to call her, and she didn't know it. She bowed her head and whispered, "Thank you, Mike. When should I call him?"

"Hmm... Probably right after I talk to you all about what you're going to do today."

"Say it."

"Well, Natalie and Dilla, you're going to be staying here for today, and I shall explain why. Dilla, since you say you're all _so_ smart, I figured you could help me plan my big plan's small details, and Roger and Becky are also helping, and Becky told me that she wanted you, Natalie, to help her. The Numbers are off training up so they can be like body guards around the building. ...CC, why I'm not involving you in this is because you have to keep talking to this Chad guy and see what all you can find out. You're our main source of info, and you can do it good, I know. So, after you run along and go call your 'hubby', you go and find that Chad again and try to find out more. Everything clear? If you have any questions, this is the time to ask them."

"So I'm gonna be alone all day?" Caitlin inquired.

"Yes, but it'll be worth it if you get more out of him."

"What does Becky need me to help her with?" Natsu asked.

"...I don't know. Any more questions?"

"Yes." Megan walked up to Mike and glared into his bold brown eyes with her hazel eyes. She glanced back at Caitlin and remarked, "CC said-"

"ANYHOO...," Caitlin shouted as she pushed Megan away from Mike. "No, no, and no. You aren't saying what I said."

Mike puffed up his cheeks and remarked, "And you said what?"

Caitlin turned pale and whispered, "Uh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Mike shrugged. "Whatever," he muttered. "Dilla. Natalie. Follow me." He beckoned the two girl hams as he walked away down the hallway. Natsu and Megan looked at each other before they walked down the hallway after Mike.

Caitlin let out a big breath. Megan had almost told Mike that she thought he was cute. Caitlin shrugged and thought she ought to wait until later that night to call Boss because she knew she'd go on for an hour with him. She walked down the hallway after a minute and out the door.

It was still a gloomy day, but it wasn't raining at least. The gray sky let no sunlight through its thick clouds, and the river was a dark midnight blue. Caitlin walked to the bridge that crossed the river into Hamster City and crossed it. When she got into the city, she spent a few minutes searching for Chad.

"I wonder where the enthusiastic idiot went?" Caitlin inquired herself as she walked through the suburbs on the outside of the heart of the city. She sauntered around until she came to a large street sign that read 'Brach Street'. Caitlin glanced around and saw a beige hamster with four light brown spots that had large, green eyes. She looked at him for a moment before asking, "Who are you?"

The hamster continued to look at her as he hissed, "Who are you?"

Caitlin glanced around for a minute before inquiring, "Um, do you live around here?"

"Do you?"

"No. I live in a place four hours away. It's a nice little place, actually. You know where I'm talking about?"

The hamster hesitated before replying, "I was over there a few nights ago looking for someone."

"Oh? Whom were you looking for?"

"You know the Bad Hams?"

"Yes. Who doesn't?"

"Well, uh, they're out to get me, I believe."

"Haha, why do you think they're out to get you? I believe they're out to get everyone!"

"Well, er..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know you, so I cannot and will not tell you."

Caitlin shrugged. "Akay... You know the Ham-Hams?"

"The goody-two-shoes Ham-Hams?"

"Yes, them."

"Yes, I do know them. Why?"

"I'm one of them." Caitlin nodded convincingly. "I'm Boss's wife, but I just have all this annoying dye in my fur... My fur is really brown. I just dyed it black today."

"Hmm... May I ask why?" the hamster asked.

"Uh, no."

"Oh." The hamster sighed. "I'm having trouble...can you help?"

"I can try." Caitlin's sapphire blue eyes flashed in the sunlight. "What's the matter?"

"I got a friend, you see? He says I should get this ham girl to marry me, and I really want to marry her because I love her SO much, but she really dislikes me. Well, she hates me. I asked her if she would, and she only told me off. How do I get her to like me?" The hamster sighed and looked at Caitlin desperately.

Caitlin shrugged. "I'll give you advice if you answer a question of mine later."

"Deal."

"Well, akay... Lemme think... So, in other words, you like a girl, but she hates you? Oh, that's so common, I tell you! Haha, well, lessee... You treat her right? Have you done anything to her in the past?"

"Well, I treat her right. She still hates me."

"Hmm... Does she like anyone else?"

The hamster hesitated. "Yes."

"Hmm... Wellys, there's not much hope in getting her to like you." Caitlin shrugged. "But look on the positive side, you've always got someone who likes you somewhere. Every night, at least one person lies down and thinks of you. Remember that."

"Oh my, ma'am, you've saved my suicidal soul!"

"...EH?" Caitlin turned pale. "But I have two questions since I also saved your 'suicidal soul'..."

"Alright. Anything!" The hamster laughed shyly.

"Who are you?" Caitlin smiled as she thought the hamster's description fit the description of Jake.

"Oh, me? Ha ha ha. Ha. Uh, my name? Oh, yeah. Ha ha ha. Ha. My name...ha ha ha. Ha. Um..."

"Is it really that hard to just tell me your name? Well, my name is Cait."

"Oh, really? Ha ha ha. Ha."

"Tell me your name. I saved your 'suicidal soul'."

"Oh, sorry... I'm just really shy around new people."

"You look like someone I know..."

"Who?"

"Well, dear, that doesn't matter right now. Just tell me your name."

"Okay. My name's Jake." The hamster shrugged frankly. "I'm just your average 'Oh My God, I'm a Servant for Other Hamsters' hamster. That's how I plainly say it."

Caitlin turned pale. This was Jake she was talking to, and this was the hamster that was supposed to be all big and bad?! _Oh my God,_ Caitlin thought. _He called himself suicidal. WHAT DOES HE DO TO HIMSELF?! Oh wellys. Maybe I can talk to him about all that's been going on... I'll tell Mike, and everything will be all fine and dandy!_

"Oh, and my next question. You know Chad?" Caitlin inquired.

Jake glanced down at the ground and replied, "Yeah. He was talking about you and two other girl hamsters, I believe."

Caitlin nodded. "Do you know where I might find him and maybe you later?"

"Oh, you'll see him somewhere in the alleys talking to a big group of hamsters. You can't miss him. As for me, I'll see you later." Jake nodded toward her as he jolted away before she could reply.

Caitlin glanced at the street sign that read 'Brach Street'. She tried her best to keep that name in mind as she walked down the sidewalk toward the heart of Hamster City. Once on the street where she, Natsu, and Megan first met Chad, Caitlin walked down the sidewalk on the street until she came to the alley they had met Chad in. And sure enough, there was Chad with a large group of hamsters around him. He was standing on a metal garbage can talking in a loud voice. Caitlin had no idea what he was talking about but she raised her paw in the air and waved it while shouting, "Chad, it's me, Cait!"

Chad stopped in the middle of a sentence and spun around toward her. "Cait, _glad_ to see _you_! Where _are_ the _other Shoxxi_ gals?"

Caitlin paused. She just couldn't tell him, "Oh, they're helping Mike with his plan on how to kill Jake." "Um, they had plans today, so I'm just out here alone." Caitlin nodded convincingly as a sweatdrop formed on her forehead.

Chad beckoned her to come closer to him. Caitlin pushed her way through the crowd of hamsters until she came almost nose-to-nose to him. Chad held down his paw toward her and shouted, "Cait, grab _my paw_, and I'll _pull you up_."

Caitlin shrugged as she grabbed his paw, and he pulled her atop of the trash can lid. "Actually, Chad, I should be the one pulling you atop of this trash can."

Chad blushed and responded, "_It's not my fault I'm short!_"

"You sound a bit like..." Caitlin paused before she dared to say Mike's name.

"_Who?_" Chad inquired.

"Um, someone I know, but I can't remember their name...," Caitlin lied.

Chad shrugged. "_Oh well_."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Disruptive Arguments

With Stella...

Stella lied motionlessly on her back as she continuously stared at the ceiling. She hadn't felt too well for the whole time she'd been awake, and it was about four hours ago when she woke up. Stella rolled onto her stomach and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later she rolled back onto her back and glanced toward the door. Stella was rather freaked when she saw that Jake was standing right next to the door. She was drowned in the morbid stare coming from his large eyes, and she wondered how long he had been there.

There was dolorous silence between the two. Stella watched the ground as she sat up. Jake continued staring at her as he breathed profoundly. He closed his eyes before he whispered, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Stella stared blankly at Jake. "What?"

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

"What? I haven't done anything to you! You've done everything to me!"

Jake shook his head and screamed, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"

"What the hell am I doing to you?!"  
"THIS!" Jake raised his left arm high into the air and pointed at it. Stella turned wan and screamed at the sight of blood pouring from his wrist where he had cut himself. She screamed, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF?!"

Jake shook his head and shouted back, "I'm not doing it...you're doing it to me!"

"How could I make you?!"

"You just are! You're making me torment myself every moment of my existence, and how much more do you plan to make me go through?! Why do you do this? Why, why, WHY?! WHY?!?!?! Why do I love you? Why do you hate me? Why do you torment my mind every second of every day? Why do I want to kill myself because of you? WHY?!?!?!"

Stella bowed her head and whispered, "But you ask why...why do you ask why? Why haven't the answers been getting to your head when they're spelled out right in front of you? Why do you do this? Because you're an insane, deranged wretch! Why do you love me? God only knows why! Why do I hate you? Well, isn't THAT obvious! Why do I torment your mind? Well, hun, I don't even know your mind, so how can I torment it? Why do you want to kill yourself? Well, God only knows that also!"

Jake screamed as he sank down onto the ground. "WHY?!?!?!" he sobbed. "Why, why, WHY?!?!?! I don't want to love you anymore, Stella, SO WHY DO I LOVE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK ABOUT?!?!?! WHY AM I STUCK AS GLUE TO YOU? WHY DO YOU INVADE ALL OF MY THOUGHTS? WHY?!?!?! WHY DO YOU DRIVE ME INSANE?!?!?! WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS HATE ME WHEN I LOVE YOU? WHY?!?!?!?!?!"

Stella closed her eyes tight as she covered her ears. She curled up tightly while Jake continued inquiring why. Stella tried not to listen to his words as the nameless hamster came in again. He ran over to Jake and began to drag him out of the door. Jake seized the floor and shouted, "YOU'RE KILLING ME! WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?! WHY WON'T YOU STOP KILLING ME?! YOU IMMORTAL, MURDEROUS BITCH, WHY?!?!?! **_WHY?!?!?!_** I LOVE YOU, BUT WHY DO YOU KILL ME WITH NO MERCY?!?!?!"

Stella shut her eyes tighter as she screamed, "AND YOU'RE SAYING I'M KILLING YOU?!?!?! LOOK AT ME, **_BEGGING_** YOU TO LET ME BE, AND YOU'RE HERE ASKING WHY I'M DOING SOMETHING YOU'RE ACTUALLY DOING TO ME?! WHERE DOES THIS STOP?! NOW, LISTEN! IF THIS DOESN'T STOP AND YOU DON'T LET ME BE, I **_WILL_** KILL YOU, SOMEWAY, SOMEHOW! I WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER WERE BORN!"

Jake jumped to his feet and grabbed Stella by the shoulders. He shook her as he shouted, "YOU'VE ALREADY KILLED ME...I'M DEAD, BUT I'M NOT GONE! IT'S BECAUSE ONE OF YOUR FALLEN ANGELS HAVE TRAPPED ME HERE! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!"

"WELL!" Stella screamed in his face. "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING TO YOU! I'M JUST NOT GIVING IN TO YOU! YOU WISH THAT I MIGHT BE HAPPY, BUT I'M NOT! I WANT TO GO HOME! DON'T YOU LISTEN?! I WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO HOME TO MIKE, TO MY FRIENDS, TO MY **_LIFE_**!!!" Hot tears were pouring down her face as Jake took his paws off her shoulders. He bowed his head low as he silently walked away.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Spurts Of Anger

With Caitlin and Chad...

Chad continued talking obnoxiously about random gossip and other stuff as Caitlin looked at the ground in boredom. Chad was going on FOREVER about nothing, and the large group of hamsters seemed to be able to understand it. She sighed as she continued listening in and trying to understand what he was saying.

Later with Jake...

Jake stared blankly at the wall. The blood from his left arm was still pouring. The nameless hamster wasn't around. Jake guessed he was trying to comfort Stella. He sighed as he lied back on the couch in his living room.

Nothing came to Jake's mind. Jake's mind was closed by the thought of Stella. It haunted his mind, and it wouldn't stop. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. Her words haunted him even more, considering she said he was doing everything wrong and that she was going to kill him somehow. Jake continued to breathe heavily as he continued to think of Stella.

Meanwhile down the hallway, Stella was hugging the nameless hamster tightly with her face buried in his side. The nameless hamster watched her with condolence. The only sounds were the sounds of her sobs, and the nameless hamster could only watch.

Stella looked up at the voiceless hamster and whispered, "Oh...I think I'm gonna be sick..."

The voiceless hamster sighed and nodded slightly. He glanced at the ground and closed his eyes. Stella watched him as he stood up and walked out of the room. "Wait...don't go!" Stella called after him.

The nameless hamster clenched his fists as he entered the living room. Jake glanced at him and sat up. "What's up, big friend?" he inquired as the nameless hamster walked up to him. "Are you alright...?"

The voiceless hamster mouthed something as a fire grew in his colorless eyes. He grasped Jake by the neck and lifted him into the air. Jake's green eyes grew large as the nameless hamster mouthed something as if he was trying to talk. He threw Jake at the wall and crossed over to him. Jake covered his head with his arms as the nameless hamster grabbed a paint scraper and started scraping the wall. When he was done scraping the wall, he seized Jake around the neck and held him up to where he scraped the wall.

"Wha...?" Jake whispered as he looked at the wall. The voiceless hamster had scratched out what said, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, JAKE?! DON'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO HER?! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!!! I DEMAND YOU LET HER BE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU PITIFUL WRETCH, I DEMAND YOU QUIT THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!"

After he read what the nameless hamster scratched out, Jake burst into tears and screamed, "But I'm doing nothing wrong! I know what I'm doing, but you don't! I'm doing what's right! Why are you, my best friend, against me?! I don't get this world!!! WHY?!?!?!"

The nameless hamster glared straight through Jake and mouthed something else. He threw him at the wall and walked out of the room. Jake curled up on the floor and rocked back and forth. "Why...why...why...?"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Invite

With Caitlin and Chad...

"Who are we waiting for?" Caitlin inquired as Chad walked around. They were at a corner of a street next to a small restaurant. He turned toward her and remarked, "_Well_, you'll _see_."

"What time are they supposed to be here?"

"_At exactly noon_."

"What's the time now?"

"Eleven fifty-_nine_."

Caitlin shrugged as she leaned up against a light post. She sighed and looked down at the ground. When she looked back up about a minute later, she suddenly saw Jake walking down the sidewalk toward the restaurant. Chad jumped up and down as he shouted, "_Jake! How grand you join us!_"

Jake looked up with watery, green eyes. He smiled fakely and replied, "Hey, Chad. Who...oh! I remember! I met you on the corner this morning! Your name is Cait, right?"

Caitlin glanced down at the sidewalk and whispered, "Oh, yeah. You're Jake, right? Yeah, that's right. Hehe."

Chad looked from Jake to Caitlin and said, "_So..._you two _have already _met? _Grand!_"

"Very...," Jake muttered under his breath.

"Absolute-telly grand...," Caitlin mumbled.

Chad nodded convincingly and walked into the restaurant. Caitlin and Jake sort of looked at each other and walked after Chad. Once they got a table, Chad looked at both of them and asked, "_So_, what's _up_, _you two_?"

Caitlin shrugged. "I've been with you all day."

Jake glanced down at the ground and whispered, "Not much. I think Big Friend is mad at me."

Chad tilted his head and questioned, "_Why?_"

"Dunno...," Jake lied as he remembered the message the nameless hamster had written on his wall. "Well...how's everything going?"

Chad leaned back in his chair and remarked, "_Oh...perfect! I_ talked to _everyone_ about it _early this morning_ when _the sun_ was rising, and _everyone_ is _SO excited_ about it! You _don't_ mind to hear that _I_ invited _them, right?_"

Jake shrugged. "Depends on who 'everyone' is."

"_Just_ the _usual crew_."

"Okay, that's okay."

Caitlin tilted her head slightly and inquired, "What is it?"

Jake laughed shyly and replied, "Oh...I'm getting married in...uh...three days!"

"To whom?" Caitlin flashed her sapphire blue eyes.

Jake twiddled his thumbs and whispered, "This really beautiful gal...her name's Stella. She's absolutely pure, and she's got these really beautiful silver eyes. Oh, and she has the cutest voice, too. Oh, and she's really proper also. You'd be surprised how much more beautiful she is than most girls! Ha ha ha. Ha..."

_Ha ha ha ha yourself, Jake. She's not pure._ Caitlin smiled evilly as she thought. "Ah. I know her. She's a Bad Ham, right?"

Jake turned pale. "Uh, yeah..."

"Haha, I'm a Ham-Ham, so duh, I know her. I thought she and Mike were in a HUGE relationship. Hmm...I must be behind. I haven't seen them for a while. I heard they're around here somewhere, but I don't know where. That's just what my hubby told me. You know Boss? Yeah. He and Mike are HUGE enemies. You know Mike? He's the Bad Ham dictator. Hehe, I bet you already knew that like everyone else in history. If he still likes Stella, he's prolly out to get you. Boss says he's seen him plotting. But my hubby has short term memory loss, so how would he know?"

"Yeah..." Jake glanced down at the ground. "...He's out to get me, isn't he?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Dunno," she lied. "I just know he's out to get us. I came here for a while because my hubby's gone on a trip with his friends. Two of my friends came with me. They didn't feel like getting out today, so I got out alone. Hehe, so...is it alright if I probe into your wedding?"

"Sure." Jake nodded nervously as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. "Well...you'll have to answer a few questions first."

"Akay."

"Alright...do you know the Bad Hams personally?"

"Nope. I know my hubby knows them more, though."

"Do you know Mike?"

"I know who he is, but I don't talk to him. He scares me."

"Okay... Do you know Stella?"

"Sorta... I've run into her a few times before. She's pretty nice to me. She's EVIL to my hubby, but that must be either because he's a guy or that he's a Ham-Ham. But I'm a Ham-Ham too, so the last thing wouldn't make since..."

"Do either of your two friends know the Bad Hams personally?"

"I don't believe. They're sorta like me around them."

"Do they know Mike?"

"They don't like him at all. Dilla wants to hurt him."

"Haha, I'd have to see that... Do they know Stella?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I think they were with me when I ran into her one time."

"Alright. You're invited to our wedding."

Caitlin smiled brightly. "Oh, I feel loved!" she shouted as she stood in her chair. Everyone in the resturaunt sort of just stared at her. She blushed as she sat back down.

Jake blushed shyly and looked down at his paws. He turned pale when he saw that he had forgotten to wipe all of the blood off of his left wrist. He glanced back at Caitlin and Chad and whispered, "Um, I've gotta go to the restroom real quick... If the waitress comes while I'm gone, I just want a Dr. Pepper." Jake jumped up and ran toward the restroom while hiding his left wrist.

Caitlin shrugged and thought, _What the...? He looked at his paws, and then he said he had to go to the restroom. Hmm... Interesting._

Contiguously the waitress walked up to the table. "How are y'all doin'? I'll be serving you today. Would you all like some drinks?"

Chad nodded and pointed to where Jake had been sitting. "_He_ would _like_ a _Dr. Pepper. I_ would _like_ a _Coke_."

The waitress nodded and looked over at Caitlin with a look that said, "If you have to hang around him all day, I feel sorry for you." "What would you like to drink?"

Caitlin remarked, "I'd like a Shirley Temple."

"Done." The waitress then walked away from the table.

After a few minutes, Jake came back to the table. The waitress was just bringing their drinks. Once she put down their drinks on the table, she inquired, "Are y'all ready to order?"

"_Yes, ma'am!_" Chad nodded convincingly. "_This lunch is on me_. _I_ would _just_ like a _salad_."

Caitlin grinned meanly and remarked, "Me? I'd like a ribeye."

Chad's eyebrow raised when she asked for a ribeye. "_How much is that?_"

"About twenty bucks."

Chad sighed and nodded. "_Alright._"

Jake looked down and whispered, "I'd just like a hamburger."

"Done." The waitress walked away from the table again.

Jake sighed and remarked, "You probably need to know all the info and stuff for our wedding..." He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Caitlin. "This has pretty much all of the information."

Caitlin whispered, "Thanks." She opened the envelope slowly and pulled out a letter. Inside the letter, it read: "You are invited to a wedding. Congrats. It's at a small place called Hamster City Outskirts Chapel in the outskirts near the suburbs on this Saturday. You can't miss it. There is a sign next to it that says, 'Welcome to Hamster City Outskirts Chapel!' Yeah. Wear formal clothes. No duh, this is a wedding. Ha ha ha. Ha. Don't dress like this is a fricking funeral. You don't have to R.S.V.P. 'cause I don't have a home phone. I don't have enough money for electricity. If you see me before the wedding, you can tell me if you're coming. If I don't see you or you don't contact me, I suppose you're coming. Oh, and it's at noon. But I'm no good at these invite things, so I'll shut up now. -Jake."

"Hmm...it's quite confusing." Caitlin shrugged.

Jake twiddled his thumbs some more as he whispered, "There's this chapel called Hamster City Outskirts Chapel. It's not that big, but it's pretty nice, I think. Just wear formal clothes. If you think you can come, just tell me now. I'll be pretty busy for the rest of the week, so I probably won't see you until then."

Caitlin nodded. "Of course, I'll be there! So will Dilla and Natalie. We'll all be there!" _I can't miss this opportunity! Good thing Mike didn't hold me back today like he did to Natsu and Megan...,_ she thought.

Jake smiled and blushed mildly. "Good."

Later...

"Hmm...I can't think up much more," Mike mumbled as he glanced over at Roger. Roger was organizing everything in the order it would come in.

"Too baad we do not know zee place where they are goeeng to haave eet aat...," Roger said. "Then we could plaan eexactly where we would be."

Mike nodded. "Too bad. Don't worry, I think CC can figure it out. I mean, she's good at getting things out of people, isn't she?"

"Oui," Roger replied. "You almost sound aas eef you like her more thaan you always say."

"...So?"

"...Never mind." Roger shrugged as he looked back down at the pen he was holding in his left paw.

Suddenly Mike's cellphone rang with its ringtone, which was Evening. Mike glanced over at it and answered it. "Hashaa?"

"Mike!" Caitlin's voice came from the receiver.

"CC?" Mike answered. "What's up?"

"Akay, I'm in the bathroom of this one restaurant, and you'll NEVER believe it!!!"

"Believe what?"

"...I know where the wedding's gonna be."

"...WHERE?!?!?!?!?! WHERE IS IT?!?!?!?!?!"

"It's a place called Hamster City Outskirts Chapel. You know where I'm talking about?"

"...I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THAT'S AT!!! WHEN IS IT?!?!?!?!?!"

"It's on Saturday at noon. I got an invitation, and you can see it when I get back."

"...GET BACK HERE NOW! I NEED TO SEE THIS! CC, YOU'RE DOING GREAT! THANKS TO YOU, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAVE STELLA!!!"

"Akay...can you just stop yelling into the phone?"

"...Uh, yeah, sure. Just get back here N-O-W!!!"

"I gotta finish having lunch with this crew. I'll come back as soon as I get out of this restaurant."

"...Okay. Just hurry as FAST as you can." Mike then hung up the phone.

Roger glanced at Mike and inquired, "Thaat waas Cait weeth good news?"

"Yes, Roger," Mike replied with a relieved smile. "We're not too late...yet..."

Roger smiled with relief in his eyes. "Does she know eef Stella eez alright?"

Mike glanced down at the floor. "She didn't mention Stella. I hope to God she's alright... Roger, go tell everyone else. NOW!"

Roger stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "Oui, Master Mike," he replied as he bowed and ran out of the room.

With Stella...

Stella still clung to the nameless hamster. The voiceless hamster hugged her affectionately while mouthing things that didn't come out. She whispered to the hamster, "I hope Mike's alright. I don't think there's any hope now... They won't find me in time before the wedding. What will I do, Jamie? I'm gonna be forced to marry Jake, and I won't be able to do anything... What will I do?!"

The nameless hamster glared down at the floor. He didn't reply in any way except for shrugging doubtedly. He looked back up at Stella and mouthed something else. Stella looked up at him and whispered, "Yeah... You've must've been here for a long time. I guess you're used to it by now... Hmm..."

Later...

Caitlin burst out of the restaurant as soon as she could. Chad kept on talking, and she finally got up and left, saying that she had an important appointment at the doctor's office. She left Chad and Jake alone as she ran down the sidewalks to the river and crossed it. She then ran down toward the place where the Bad Hams were staying.

Once she got there, Caitlin was alone in the front room for only a split second. Mike came running up to her with Roger following close behind. "CC! You got it?!?!?! You got it?!?!?!"

"Yea, right here," Caitlin said as she handed Mike the envelope that held the invite.

Mike eagerly ripped the invite out of the envelope and read it a few times. "Man, he's bad at wording things, isn't he? Hmm... Look at this, Roger. What do you think?"

Roger looked at it and whispered, "He eez aas baad aas moi wheen I write theengs."

"Yeah, considering you write in French half of the time and I can't read French."

"Haha, 'do not dress like thees eez a freeking foonairaal.'! Eet eez heez!"

"Hmm... You've a point," Caitlin replied.

"He doesn't even have electricity! What a wretch," Mike said.

"I already told him we were coming. Well, me, Natalie, and Dilla."

"Grand, so he's not expecting the Bad Hams?"

"Nope. He only expects us three."

"Grand!" Mike flashed his daring, brown eyes. "Well, I'll let you rest for a while, and Roger and I will organize this with Becky. Oh, Natalie and Dilla are upstairs somewhere."

Caitlin nodded as she ran up the stairs. She immediately heard Mike yell, "DON'T RUN!" Caitlin slowed her pace to a fast walk as she walked down the long hallway at the top of the stairs. When Caitlin got to the game room, which was practically like a large arcade, there was Natsu and Megan playing on the pinball machine. Caitlin crossed over and shouted, "Guess what, y'all!"

"What?" Natsu and Megan inquired as they turned around toward her.

"Akay, the enthusiastic idiot gave me an invite to the wedding! We know EVERYTHING now! We can get back Stella now! We can get revenge! We can do ANYTHING now! Aren't you two excited? Huh, huh, huh???"

"Woot," Natsu responded.

"Revenge is healthy," Megan said with a wink.

"I can't believe you survived him alone and lived long enough to get an invite out of him..."

"Akay, y'all, you PROMISE not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you right now?"

"Of course!" the two ham gals replied in unison.

"...I met Jake at noon today."

"...OH MY GOD!" Megan shouted. "YOU MET HIM?! DID YOU TELL MIKE?!"

"...No, that's why you can't tell anyone I met him. He's actually a regular looking guy. You'd expect him to be all 'big and bad', but he's just like any old regular guy. He has HUGE eyes, and he's beige with peanut butter brown spots. Jake inquired me, like, ten thousand times if I knew the Bad Hams, but that's just a well-rounded estimate. He also thinks Stella is 'pure'."

"...She's not?" Natsu asked as the color faded from her face.

"Nope. It's one of her 'darkest secrets'."

"Freaky...," Megan muttered. "I did NOT need to know that..."

"And Jake was the one who gave me the invite."

"Weird," Natsu said.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Jake's Afterthoughts

With Jake...

Jake walked down Brach Street toward his house. When he got there, he trudged through the door and closed it behind him. He leaned up against it and mumbled, "I'm not sure if I should've done that..."

"Done what?" a voice called from a distance.

Jake looked up and around. He walked into the living room to see that Stella and the nameless hamster were sitting on the couch. Jake looked at the ground and whispered, "Did you say something?"

"What did you do that you're not sure you should've done?" Stella inquired with frankness in her voice.

"Well, uh...," Jake muttered. "I met a girl today... I invited her to the wedding on Saturday. She's pretty nice, but I think she's trying to do something..."

Stella shrugged and looked toward the nameless hamster. "Oh well."

The voiceless hamster shrugged, too.

Jake turned toward the nameless hamster and mumbled, "So, you've found a new best friend? Sigh..."

The nameless hamster nodded.

"Oh yeah, Jake, he doesn't think my hat is fuzzy. He thinks it's pretty," Stella retorted.

"...I think it's fuzzy," Jake murmured.

"Well, that's you, not Jamie."

"Plus I should've gotten to name him..."

"No, because I'm his new best friend, so haha."

"...No comment..." Jake sighed. "Why do you torment me, Stella?"

"I don't torment you; I mock you."

Jake sighed, "You're starting to sound like your leader..."

Stella shrugged. "Let's go, Jamie," she said as she stood up and walked out of the living room with the voiceless hamster behind her. Jake felt a sweatdrop form on the back of his head and he remarked, "I regret kidnapping her somewhat. ...Then again, this stage will be over soon after the wedding."

Later with the Bad Hams...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan rushed down the stairs toward the dining room. They were late since they were supposed to be in the dining room ten minutes before seven and it was three minutes after seven. The three ham girls rushed in and sat down at the table with Mike, Becky, and Roger.

Mike glanced over at the three girls and retorted, "You're late."

"Sorry... We were in the game room, and we didn't see the time until just a minute ago," Natsu remarked.

Mike nodded. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath.

After a few minutes, the maids started bringing out the dinner. It was a chicken stir-fry that was sizzling hot with soy sauce. Caitlin eagerly waited for one of the maids to bring out hers, and when the maid did, she immediately started in on it. Mike watched her a minute before saying, "You know, I think CC likes stir-fry."

Caitlin looked up with a cute smile. "Haha, very funny, Mike."

Mike smiled and looked over at Natsu. Natsu nodded, and Mike nodded, too. Caitlin watched them and mumbled, "Heke?"

The room grew silent. Caitlin paused and muttered, "Oops. I said one of 'their' most common quotes. Sorry, y'all. Habit."

The room returned back to normal.

"So... CC, did you ever call your husband back?" Mike asked.

"Not yet, I'm going to after dinner." Caitlin shrugged. "He wants to come see me, but he doesn't know that I'm with y'all. What should I tell him?"

"...Me? I'd keep lying, but that's gonna get you in trouble because you're no good at lying. Just tell him to screw himself and get over wanting to control you."

Caitlin giggled, "Hehe, that sounds like something you'd say."

Mike winked. "Duh, of course."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Continuing The Two's Stories

With Jake...

FLASHBACK

Jake had now been over to Simon and Stella's mansion a few times. He and Simon talked plenty, but Stella didn't really talk to him much. She was usually out to the library or looking through books in the family's library.

After three days had passed since the first night he had dinner at the mansion, Jake saw Stella in the mansion's library looking through a large book at a round table. Simon had left them alone in the library. Jake walked up to Stella and inquired, "Whatcha readin'?"

Stella looked up and pressed the book up against her chest. "Nothing that would interest you, sir."

"You can call me Jake instead of 'sir' if you want." Jake sat down beside her at the table. "Sure, I'm interested. Whatever you're interested in, I am, too."

"Oh, quit flirting, lover boy," Stella retorted.

Jake shrugged and glanced at the front cover of the book. It read, 'Worst Criminal Masterminds in History'. He tilted his head and inquired, "Worst criminal masterminds in history? What's that got to do with anything you must be interested in?"

Stella flashed her silver eyes. "I'm reading, no, thank you."

"You were reading that article about the store being robbed, weren't you? Do you know who those hamsters were?"

"Yes, no, thank you," Stella returned sharply as she turned away.

"The Bad Hams've been around for just a while, but they're known in a lot of places. Some of the hamsters in this neighborhood have been robbed and killed by them. They're sorta scary almost. You know?"

"I think they're fascinating," Stella retorted.

Jake shrugged. "You'll think they're fascinating until they rob and kill your father."

"I'd thank them for that."

Jake raised his eye brow while mumbling, "Well, that's ironic." He stood up and paced around as Stella continued reading. After a few more minutes, Jake mumbled, "You like them, don't you?"

"A lot, yes." Stella turned around toward Jake.

Jake sighed. "Trust me, Stella, you do NOT want to get mixed up with them. They'll betray you."

"I'd rather be used by them than be used by you and my father."

"...You're saying we're using you?"

"Yes. Father wants me to marry you, and I won't. I like someone else. I like the Bad Hams' leader."

"Now THAT'S a bit out of reach, is it not?"

"No."

"But, Stella, I love you... Don't you like me?"

"No. I like the Bad Hams' leader. I can't waste my time with nothings like you."

"But..."

Stella turned around. "Nope. I don't like you."

Jake looked down at the ground and whispered, "Stella... I can't believe this..." He looked back up at her. "Your father won't listen to you anyway. He listens to me, and he's already said that he might marry you off. He's going to make you marry me anyway. That's why your little crush is just a bit out of reach."

Stella stood up. "I can force him to listen to me. It works. Or I can get my maid to force him to listen to me."

"It won't work, and you know it, Stella."

"Oh, it WILL work if I MAKE it work."

"It still won't work if I make it not work. He likes me. He doesn't like the Bad Hams. Which one will he choose? Me. Me, Stella, ME. M-E. ME."

Stella rolled her eyes and retorted, "Which one will **I** choose? You or the Bad Hams? Hmm... Not hard to make that choice. The Bad Hams. Don't cry over me, Jake, 'cuz you can't cry over anything you never had."

Jake's heart swelled large. "Stella... I can't believe you... You're lying to me. You don't like the Bad Hams. You don't like me. You don't like anyone because no one can fit in your world where everything revolves around YOU."

Stella glared straight through Jake. "I COULDN'T fit anyone else into my world until I saw Mike four days ago."

Jake's eyes swelled with tears. "Stella... You can't like him. You HAVE to like me. What have I done to you?"

Stella glared at him with a fire in her eyes. "Everything," she returned sharply as she walked out of the library with the book in her paws.

Jake continued standing in the place he was standing in for a few minutes. After a few minutes, he screamed, "STELLA! YOU CAN'T DO OR SAY THAT! STELLA!!!!!" Tears streamed down his face as he ran out the library's door and ran toward the front door. Jake burst out the front door and into the front yard of the mansion. He ran down the road as he screamed, "THE BAD HAMS HAVE RUINED MY LIFE WITHOUT EVER SEEING OR HEARING OF ME BEFORE!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?!"

Once he got to Brach Street, Jake stopped running and leaned up against the payphone. He started walking toward his house with the tears still rolling down his face. Once he got to his house, Jake walked inside and collapsed on the couch in his living room. "Why...why...WHY?!?!?!?!?!" he screamed into a pillow. "WHY DO THOSE DAMNED BAD HAMS HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING FOR ME?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!?!?!"

The voiceless hamster ran into the living room to see what was wrong. He sat down on the couch next to Jake. Jake whispered, "Why does Stella like the Bad Hams more than me? Doesn't she know she'll never get to talk to the leader? If she does, he'll hurt her... I can't let her go... Hopefully Stella doesn't tell Simon that she doesn't like me... Besides, he already said I would probably be the one to marry her."

The voiceless hamster looked confused as Jake stood up and paced around. "I can't let her like that guy...," he mumbled. "I can't let her heart be won by him... He'll hurt her... He'll betray her... He'll use her... He'll scare her... He'll rape her... He'll beat her... He'll rob her... He...he'll kill her... No... I can't let her like him. I won't let her like him."

END OF FLASHBACK

Jake lied back on the couch. He heard the voiceless hamster rummage through the closet in the living room with Stella. Stella was on top of the nameless hamster's back as she looked over his shoulder into the closet. The voiceless hamster shrugged as he looked up at Stella and shook his head. Stella shrugged, too, as she got off of his back, and they walked into the kitchen.

With the Bad Hams...

Caitlin contently leaned back in her chair. She had just finished her dessert, a chocolate moose. Megan had had a cheesecake, and Natsu had had a chocolate brownie. Caitlin smiled as she told Megan, "Megs, I remember once when you went to the cheesecake factory when you were in intermediate school with your parents and your parents wouldn't let you have any cheesecake since you had a big salad."

Mike laughed. "Oh! That's pitiful not to have cheesecake at the cheesecake factory!"

Natsu laughed also. So did Becky and Roger.

Megan blushed and muttered, "Shut up... You sing in the shower and talk in your sleep."

Mike, Becky, Roger, and Natsu then laughed at Caitlin. Caitlin shrugged and mumbled, "So?"

Everyone just kept laughing. Caitlin blushed violently and mumbled, "I don't get what's so funny about shower singing and sleep talking..."

With Stella...

FLASHBACK

It had been three days since the first time Jake had had dinner at the mansion Stella lived at. Stella had been searching the mansion's library over for a recent book about the Bad Hams. She looked until that one day she had found the perfect book, 'Worst Criminal Masterminds in History'. She was looking through it and had just found the Bad Hams when Jake walked over to the table she was sitting at and asked, "Whatcha readin'?"

Stella immediately looked up at him and pressed the book against her chest. "Nothing that would interest you, sir."

"You can call me Jake instead of 'sir' if you want," Jake said as he sat down at the table beside her. "Sure, I'm interested. Whatever you're interested in, I am, too."

"Oh, quit flirting, lover boy," Stella retorted as she shut her book.

Jake shrugged and looked at the book's front cover. He looked rather confused as he muttered, "Worst criminal masterminds in history? What's that got to do with anything you're interested in?"

Stella flashed her silver eyes sharply. "I'm reading, no, thank you."

"You were reading that article about the store being robbed, weren't you? Do you know who those hamsters were?"

"Yes, no, thank you," Stella returned sharply as she turned away from Jake. She really wasn't interested in talking to him about anything.

"The Bad Hams've been around for just a while, but they're known in a lot of places. Some of the hamsters in this neighborhood have been robbed and killed by them. They're sorta scary almost. You know?"

"I think they're fascinating," Stella retorted as she rubbed the book's front cover.

Jake shrugged. "You'll think they're fascinating until they rob and kill your father."

"I'd thank them for that." Stella's voice was very frank and truthful.

Jake raised his eye brow while mumbling, "Well, that's ironic." He stood up and walked around as Stella opened the book again. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, Jake mumbled, "You like them, don't you?"

"A lot, yes." Stella turned around toward Jake again.

Jake sighed. "Trust me, Stella, you do NOT want to get mixed up with them. They'll betray you."

"I'd rather be used by them than be used by you and my father."

"...You're saying we're using you?"

"Yes. Father wants me to marry you, and I won't. I like someone else. I like the Bad Hams' leader."

"Now THAT'S a bit out of reach, is it not?"

"No."

"But, Stella, I love you... Don't you like me?"

"No. I like the Bad Hams' leader. I can't waste my time with nothings like you."

"But..."

Stella turned around. "Nope. I don't like you."

Jake looked down at the ground and whispered, "Stella... I can't believe this..." He looked back up at her. "Your father won't listen to you anyway. He listens to me, and he's already said that he might marry you off. He's going to make you marry me anyway. That's why your little crush is just a bit out of reach."

Stella stood up with the book in her paws. She looked rather offended. "I can force him to listen to me. It works. Or I can get my maid to force him to listen to me."

"It won't work, and you know it, Stella."

"Oh, it WILL work if I MAKE it work."

"It still won't work if I make it not work. He likes me. He doesn't like the Bad Hams. Which one will he choose? Me. Me, Stella, ME. M-E. ME."

Stella crossed her arms while still holding the book, rolled her eyes, and retorted, "Which one will **I** choose? You or the Bad Hams? Hmm... Not hard to make that choice. The Bad Hams. Don't cry over me, Jake, 'cuz you can't cry over anything you never had."

"Stella... I can't believe you... You're lying to me. You don't like the Bad Hams. You don't like me. You don't like anyone because no one can fit in your world where everything revolves around YOU."

Stella glared straight through Jake with her silver eyes. "I COULDN'T fit anyone else into my world until I saw Mike four days ago."

Jake's eyes swelled with tears. "Stella... You can't like him. You HAVE to like me. What have I done to you?"

Stella glared at him with a fire in her eyes. "Everything," she returned sharply as she walked out of the library with the book still in her paws. Stella walked down the corridors as she walked up a set of stairs to her room. While she was walking, she heard Jake screaming as he ran through the house. Stella just rolled her eyes as she paced into her room with the book. She sat down on her bed and muttered, "God, that ham! He's really about to get on MY nerves!"

The maid that had talked to Stella the night of the dinner rushed in. "I heard Jake screaming something about you, and I think Simon did, too. If he did, he's going to be up here in a few minutes asking for an excuse. What happened?"

Stella looked up with her eyes still flaming. "I told him I didn't like him and that I liked the Bad Hams' leader."

"Oh, no, dear...," the maid whispered. "You shouldn't have told him that! He's going to go off and tell your father... You've gotta think up an excuse before Simon comes up here asking for one. Tell him that you were looking through a book and was concentrating really hard and you accidentally yelled at him and hurt his feelings."

"NO." Stella's voice was flamed and angered. "I'm going to tell Father straight out that I don't like Jake but I like the Bad Hams' leader."

"...Don't tell him the last part, dear. You'll regret it. Just tell him he doesn't have what you're looking for."

Stella sighed angrily. At that moment, Simon came bursting into Stella's room shouting, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM, STELLA??? TELL ME!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAKE HIM RUN OUT CRYING AND SCREAMING, YOU IMMORTAL, MURDEROUS, HEARTLESS BITCH??? WHAT DID YOU DO???"

"I didn't do anything." Stella glared at her father right in the eye. "I just told him that I didn't like him. I told him what it was going to be like. I told him I had no heart for him in the plainest matter I could. He doesn't have what I'm looking for."

Simon breathed profoundly as he grabbed Stella by the shoulders and shook her. "HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND!!! DON'T RUIN MY CHANCE TO GET YOU A PROPER MAN NOW!!! HE LOVES YOU, STELLA, BUT LOOK AT YOU!!! YOU HAVE NO HEART FOR ANYONE! WHO WILL EVER BE ABLE TO LIVE AND FIT IN YOUR COLD WORLD??? HUH??? TELL ME!!!"

"Mike of the Bad Hams." Stella's eyes were burning bright. "That's who I like, and no one can change my mind. He's the only one I want and need. No one else will ever have everything I want. He has it ALL."

Simon let go of Stella's shoulders and backed away. "Stella...you can't love him...," he whispered as his color faded. "He'll hurt you... He'll betray you... He'll beat you... He'll rape you... He'll kill you..."

"It's better than living here!" Stella retorted. "Any life's better than living here! I won't marry Jake. I won't love him. I won't do anything for him AT ALL."

Simon bowed and shook his head. "No... You don't really love the Bad Hams' leader... You're just saying that to hurt Jake's feelings."

"What a coincidence, he told me the same thing."

Simon continued to shake his head. "You don't love anyone. You're just finding a reason to get attention. You just want everyone to notice you. That's it." Simon's color was still faded as he walked out of the room.

The maid looked at Stella. "This is going to be bad, I can tell you now."

"I don't care. I told him the truth, and I don't care if he believes me or not. It's the truth, and I won't lie about it. If you don't believe me, it's alright, too. I don't care by now what other people think. I only care what I think." Stella's voice was truthful and unlying.

The maid whispered, "May you be able to find the Bad Hams' leader and run away with him."

END OF FLASHBACK

Stella sat in the dining room at the table with the voiceless hamster as he poured Cheerios into three bowls and gave one of the bowls to her. He gave another bowl to Jake, whom was sitting next to Stella at the table, and then kept a bowl for himself.

"I HATE Cheerios...," Jake muttered.

_Like I hate you, Jake,_ Stella thought with a malicious smile.

The nameless hamster glared at Jake as he threw a spoon at him. Jake ducked quickly while shouting, "THAT'S YOUR SPOON!"

The voiceless hamster scowled as he threw the other spoon at Jake, and it hit Jake in the face. Jake howled in pain as he rubbed his face. The voiceless hamster mouthed something while pointing at Jake. Stella looked over and remarked, "Jamie said, 'AND THAT'S YOUR SPOON!'. Haha!"

The nameless hamster bowed while walking over to pick up his spoon. He picked it up off of the ground and walked back over to the table. He handed Stella a spoon as he sat down. "Thank you, Jamie," Stella replied.

Jake muttered curses under his breath as he picked up his spoon. "I still HATE Cheerios..."

Stella turned toward him and retorted, "You're still going to EAT Cheerios for Jamie."

Jake whispered, "And for you."

Stella rolled her eyes as she started eating her Cheerios. Even though she didn't care much for Cheerios either, she still ate them. The voiceless hamster quickly ate three bowls of Cheerios before the other two even got half way done with their first bowl.

Stella shrugged. She was just thankful she nor Jake had blown up yet this time at dinner. Stella watched Jamie mouth something, and she said, "Jamie said, 'I LOVE CHEERIOS!'."

Jake shrugged. "Don't care."

"And do I look like I care if you respond or not? No..."

Jake wrinkled his nose and muttered, "Riiight..."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Caitlin's Angry Husband

With the Bad Hams...

Mike, Becky, Roger, Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan were still talking at their table. The Numbers had gotten up and gone to the game room to play pool and Poker. After a few more minutes, Mike got up from the table and suggested, "How about we all go up to the game room, too? The maids are probably wanting to clean up this place, no?"

The five other Bad Hams nodded as they stood up and walked out the door. Mike stopped Caitlin before she walked out after the other four Bad Hams and whispered, "I think you ought to call your husband now, don't you?"

Caitlin breathed slowly and heavily. "I guess," she whispered as she walked out of the dining room. She walked slowly down the hallway that led to the phone. When she came to the phone, Caitlin took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she picked up the phone and dialed the clubhouse's number. After a few rings, she heard Boss answer, "Hamha???" His voice was uptight and tense.

"Hey, Boss Woss," Caitlin said into the phone.

She heard Boss take a deep breath as if he was trying to hold himself from exploding on her before he said anything. "Where are you, CC? I'm worried about you. You're calling from a number that says 'Unknown Caller' on the Caller ID! Who else are you with other than Natsu and Megan?"

"Um...Bossy..."

"What?!"

"...Nothing. Nothing at all."

Boss sighed again. "Just tell me where you are. I was thinking about it for the past two days, and I thought you would be back by now, so I called yesterday, but no one answered. I called last night, and someone picked up the phone..."

"Who?" Caitlin was breathing hard by now.

"I dunno, but they spoke in a harsh tone, and I asked where you were. They just said that you were conferring with 'The Enemy', and then they hung up. That's all they said. Now, CC, who is 'The Enemy'?"

"...I believe I don't know what you're talking about."

"CC...I was thinking last night, and I was thinking about that..."

"You thought?"

"Yes. Now, lemme finish. I was thinking about 'The Enemy' last night, and I remembered we only had one enemy, which are the Bad Hams. If I am led to believe this is correct, then you are with the Bad Hams."

Caitlin stopped breathing. "Why would I be with them?"

"They're in Hamster City, and I know it. They're not at their usual place, so it's there."

"But I'm not with them."

"Caitlin-Chan Taisho-Kun Nicole Montgomery, tell me the truth now. Where are you, and who are you with? If that's not good enough to say, I'm also going after you. I'm leaving in a few minutes. So I suggest you tell me instead of letting me finding out where you are exactly."

Caitlin took a deep breath and thought for a second. _I could tell him the truth plain right out. The consequence would be him prolly divorcing me and banishing me from the clubhouse and away from all my friends. If I told him a lie like, "Oh, I've been taken by the Bad Hams.", he would come here, and then he'd be in trouble himself because I told him a lie, and he'd be even more angry. If I told him a lie like, "Oh, puh-lease. I'm just with my friends chillin' out. Stay home.", he'd prolly come anyway._

"**_CAITLIN-CHAN, TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW!_**" Boss's voice had rage and ferocity in it. Caitlin could hear a few of the Ham-Hams in the background rushing over to him to try to soothe him, but she could hear him pick up a plate and throw it at the wall. She heard the plate crash into a million pieces as she whispered, "Boss, it's all good. I'm-"

"**_CAITLIN-CHAN TAISHO-KUN, TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW!!! IT'S NOT THAT HARD! TELL ME EVERYONE YOU'RE WITH AND EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE, AND I'LL BE FINE AND DANDY!_**" In the background behind Boss's angered voice, Caitlin could hear Hamtaro shouting something to Boss about self-control.

"Well, it doesn't sound like it!" Caitlin retorted with a sharp voice.

"**_JUST TELL ME WHO YOU ARE WITH AND WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING, BITCH! IT'S NOT THAT DAMN HARD!_**" Behind her husband's voice, Caitlin could hear Hamtaro shouting more at Boss about self-control. She heard him suddenly cut off by a loud thud, and then she heard him crashing into the wall.

"Boss, don't hurt him!!!" Caitlin screamed into the phone.

"**_MUST I REPEAT MYSELF?!?!?! I WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, WHO YOU ARE WITH, AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING ALL THE WAY IN HAMSTER CITY!!!_**"

"Boss, please! I'm alright! Nothing's wrong!"

"**_TELL ME NOW, CAITLIN-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE? WHY ARE YOU THERE? WHO'S THERE WITH YOU?_**"

"...Alright!" Tears were streaming down Caitlin's face. "Just stop screaming at me!!!"

Caitlin heard Boss roar, "**_TELL ME NOW!!!_**"

"I told you to stop screaming at me, and I will!"

"**_TELL ME NOW!!!_**"

"Stop screaming at me!!!" Caitlin sank down to the ground as she barely held the phone to her ear, even though she really didn't have to.

"**_TELL ME!!!!!_**"

Caitlin screamed and dropped the cord phone onto the ground. She buried her face in her paws as she sobbed, "Stop screaming at me..."

A few minutes passed by until she heard Boss stop screaming into the phone. Caitlin looked down at it a few minutes before she picked it up and whispered, "Hello? Anyone there?"

Caitlin heard footsteps on the phone until she heard someone pick it up. She heard someone sigh, and then she heard Hamtaro's voice whisper in an agonized voice, "CC, you alright?"

"No...I mean...no." Caitlin wiped her face off with the back of her paw. "Is Boss alright?"

"He's in his chair whimpering and whining like a little child."

"Why?"

"He screamed at you and made you cry. Now he won't even look up because he feels so ashamed." Hamtaro sighed. "What was he yelling about that he wanted you to tell him?"

"Hamtaro, get Boss on the phone. Now."

Hamtaro sighed. "Alright," he mumbled as he set down the phone on the table.

After a few more minutes, Caitlin heard Boss pick up the phone and whisper, "CC..."

Caitlin held her breath. "I'm here."

"Just tell me who you are with, where you are at, and what you are doing. I'm not going to let this get by. Don't think I'll forget."

Caitlin took a deep breath and whispered, "Boss, you remember how you always tell me at night in bed how you'll love me forever and ever?"

"Yes."

"Please keep loving me after I tell you this, and don't call for an annulment."

"I would never call for divorce! Why would I?"

"Because I'm a double agent." Caitlin's voice rang with frankness.

"...A double agent for-"

"Yes. I'm a double agent. I'm going to tell the truth I had to keep from telling ever since I first met you. A few days before I met you, I was forced to be in the Bad Hams. Then they told me to join the Ham-Hams and pretend to be on your side. So I did. And I would quit being in the Bad Hams, but it's a lifetime contract. I can't retract it. Natsu and Megan is in this with me because they wanted to stay by my side. Oh, yes, you know how I always seem to 'predict' the Bad Hams' next move? That's because they tell me _everything_. That first day? I knew. Those three weeks? I knew. Unstoppable? I knew. Everything else? I knew."

There was a moment of silence between Caitlin and Boss. Boss finally whispered, "You mean that you've been with the Bad Hams these past three days? You mean that ever since we first met, you had the intention of betraying me? You mean that you knew everything they were doing, but you STILL didn't tell me?"

"Boss, please try to understand...please don't hate me...please don't tell everyone else..." Caitlin's voice seemed to shatter like glass.

"How could I not tell anyone else?! You, a double agent, and I, the Ham-Ham leader, cannot go on without telling! You've betrayed me and thought of betraying me ever since you first met me and everyone else! Not one of the Ham-Hams will ever want to be around you again, and what am I to do?! What am I to do when I hate you and love you and I am married to you and you are a Bad Ham at the same time?! Tell me! What do I do now?!"

Caitlin swallowed and whispered, "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I thought of betraying you when the Bad Hams told me to, and then I met you, and you were the one thing that I had so much admiration for. When they told me to join the Ham-Hams, I gladly did. When they told me everything they planned to do, it took A LOT to stay loyal to you and them. And then I married you. I thought I could slowly slip away from them, but I can't. See? I can't. I tried my best, and I can't get out. If I had the chance to get out of this group, I would. I would leave this place in a heartbeat. I love you more than anyone on this world, and I would die for you, Boss. Please...please believe me. This isn't a lie. I promise you. It's not a lie."

There was more silence between the couple. Tears of distress were rolling down Caitlin's face, and Boss seemed to be only breathing in nothing but what she just told him.

After a few more minutes of silence, Caitlin whispered, "You do believe me, right?"

Nothing came through the phone receiver except the mournful sound of Boss's moaning. He couldn't respond to such a question.

"How am I to know you still love me or not?" she whispered."I don't know what to do." Boss's voice sounded woebegone and pained. "I don't even know what to say. I mean you betrayed me, and you're all I've got. You are my world, my wealth, and my love. But it seems it's all been torn apart now...and I don't know what to do without it. I'm going to find you, and I'm going to settle this. Believe me, this will get settled. You will be out of the Bad Hams, and I will always love you except for right now, but this hate is going to last a while, Caitlin-Chan Taisho-Kun." With that, the phone receiver clicked, and a beeping noise was the only thing heard other than the forlorn scream that came from Caitlin.

"Wow, you are a brave little girl, aren't you?" a voice said from behind her.

Caitlin spun around with tears pouring down her face to see Mike watching her. "I've been listening for a while. You are pretty brave, considering everything that's happened today and what you just told him."

"Mike...what am I going to do? I mean, Boss... He...knows...EVERYTHING...," Caitlin whispered.

Mike shrugged. "I'm not letting you go. He won't let you go. So he'll just have to be happy with you being MY double agent."

"Very helpful of you, Mike...," Caitlin mumbled as she wiped her face off with the back of her paw.

"Why thank you," Mike replied. He sat down next to her on the ground and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it... I'll talk to him later. Don't sweat about it."

Caitlin smiled slightly and whispered, "Thanks, Mike... You sure you can talk to him about it?"

"Duh, I can get anyone to listen to moi," Mike responded confidently. "We can't let our best double agent down now."

"Thanks, Mike..."

"AND since you got that invite, I'm going to do this once, so pay attention."

"Thanks, Mike..."

"...I said pay attention, not thank me. Thank me later."

"Oh." Caitlin looked up into Mike's brown eyes.

Mike smiled as he pressed his lips against hers. Caitlin somewhat jumped and floated at the same time. The two stayed in that position for a minute before Mike broke away. "Haha...," he whispered as he laughed shyly.

Caitlin blushed as red as a turnip. "Yeah, um... Mike, you're not a bad guy. You're really great. I really like you actually."

Mike blushed as he whispered, "CC, you're not the blondest girl out there... You can be REALLY stupid and REALLY great at the same time. I really, really like you actually. You're a great gal, and don't forget it. If your 'hubby' decides to dump you now, you'd make a great second wife."

"...OH MY GOD!" Caitlin shouted. "You mean... You're going to...?"

"Yes. But don't say anything to anyone else." Mike winked. Caitlin blushed and mumbled, "Yeah..."

Later that night...

Natsu looked around the game room. "Where's CC? She should be here by now...," she mumbled.

"Mike's not here either," Megan remarked. "I still can't believe you told him today when I was going to... You told him CC thought he was cute! I can't believe he said what he said..."

"He said, 'I like her, too. She's really cool.'! Mike doesn't act like he likes her a lot, but he said he liked her..."

"...I wonder if CC told him..."

"...I wonder if Mike said what he told us..."

"...I wonder why CC stayed behind..."

"...I wonder why Mike stayed behind, too..."

"...I wonder if CC's with him right now..."

"...I wonder if Mike's with her right now..."

"...That's practically the same thing I said, Natsu."

"...Oh." Natsu shrugged. "Well, I wonder, too."

"Yeah...," Megan mumbled.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: A Plain Morning

The following morning...

"And where have YOU been, CC?" Megan inquired Caitlin as Caitlin walked into the bathroom in full uniform.

Caitlin glanced down at the floor and mumbled, "Well, uh, I sorta was busy..."

"...Where was Mike, too?" Natsu asked.

"Uh, don't ask me," Caitlin murmured as a sweatdrop formed on the back of her head. "Well, we DID have to talk... Boss knows everything."

"...YOU'RE KIDDING!" Natsu shouted.

"No..."

"...He told everyone else, didn't he?"

"...Most everyone was there. He was screaming at me."

"...Oh...crap..."

"This is bad...," Megan whispered.

"Yeah, so I had to talk to Mike about it. He's going to call him tonight," Caitlin remarked.

Megan nodded. "Let's go down to breakfast."

"Akay," Caitlin and Natsu responded in harmony.

Once downstairs and in the dining room, the three ham girls sat down at the table with Mike, Roger, and Becky. Mike was leaned back in his chair as he said, "Good morning, ham gals! Can you just not wait until today and tomorrow are over?"

"I guess," Caitlin mumbled. "Why? Are you going to kill Chad, too?"

"...YAY!" Natsu shouted. "That'd be fun! I mean he did the victory speech and all... And he's annoying."

Mike nodded. "Sure, I'll kill him, too. Who wants me to blast his head off or blast a big hole in him or both?"

"Both!" Megan shouted.

"YAY!" Natsu said.

"Done," Mike replied as he winked.

After a few minutes, the maids brought out plates of pancakes and bowls of Cheerios. One maid set a plate of pancakes and a bowl of Cheerios in front of Caitlin. Caitlin looked at the Cheerios and said, "Well, I thought Stella didn't like Cheerios."

"I LOVE Cheerios," Becky said as she started on the Cheerios.

Mike sighed. "She doesn't. But I do. She only ate them for me... Sigh..."

Natsu nudged Caitlin in the ribs and whispered, "Don't make him talk about Stella for an hour. He did that yesterday."

"Haha," Caitlin responded.

"Besides," Megan cut in as she poked Caitlin in her ribs on the other side of her, "what did you do last night with Mike, hmm? Did you...???"

"...OH GOD, NO! Not at all, even though he kept on kissing my neck," Caitlin answered. "I've not even done that with Boss, and I don't plan on it soon... Y'all, do y'all think I'm some, like, pervert?"

Natsu and Megan nodded in unison.

"God...," Caitlin muttered as she shook her head. "We talked about the Ham-Hams. He's gonna call Boss tonight. Haha, Mike knows his cellphone number now since I told him." Caitlin winked. "I think he DOES like me and he wants to help me out with Boss, but I think he likes me TOO much and wants Boss and me to divorce so I can be his 'second wife'."

"Ah," Megan and Natsu said in harmony.

With Stella...

Stella opened her silver eyes slowly. She was in the room again, and the voiceless hamster was sleeping on the edge of the bed. Stella sat up and whispered, "Jamie, wake up..."

The nameless hamster opened his eyes and yawned loudly. He rolled off of the bed and into the floor. He stood up and peered up at Stella. The voiceless hamster mouthed something.

"Good morning to you, too, Jamie," Stella responded as she stepped off of the bed. "Are you wanting breakfast?"

The voiceless hamster nodded as he lightly grabbed Stella's paw. The two walked out of the room and into the kitchen. The nameless hamster grabbed a box of Cheerios and ran into the dining room with three bowls and three spoons. Stella sighed as she thought, _Good God. MORE Cheerios. Mike likes Cheerios..._

Stella followed the voiceless hamster into the dining room. The hamster went out of the room to get Jake. When he came back with Jake, Jake was barely awake. He sat down at the table and mumbled, "Cheerios again??? NOOO..."

The voiceless hamster held up a spoon while mouthing something. Jake ducked down and shouted, "THAT'S YOUR SPOON!"

The nameless hamster shrugged, grabbed a handful of Cheerios, and threw it at Jake. Jake hissed and muttered, "You're cleaning that up!"

The voiceless hamster rolled his eyes as he poured the Cheerios and gave everyone a bowl. Once again, he had three bowls before Stella or Jake got half way done with theirs. Stella was also thankful again she hadn't blown up yet. She didn't say anything to the nameless hamster or Jake whom was now complaining about the Cheerios. Stella paused as she thought and looked up at Jake.

"Jake, I have a question." Her voice was crisp and clear.

Jake looked over at Stella. "Yes, Stella?"

Stella inquired, "You know when you get married, you need a marriage license. You don't have one." She revealed a look of superiority.

Jake returned the look and retorted, "Well, _Miss Stella_, your father and I did get that when we first agreed on the marriage."

"He signed FOR me? When?"

"Well, uh, after we talked about it. Yes, he signed for you. You were too young to sign."

"...Shit on a stick..." Stella sighed loudly and muttered, "Why am I stuck with you? You're just a big bag of-"

"Are you aware that you can't put shit on a stick?"

"Yes, you can."

"How?"

"...Pick it up and jam it on a stick."

Jake shrugged. "It could work."

"Why are you so...so...CALM today?"

"Because. There's nothing in the world that can break me today."

"...What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"...Don't ask questions and I won't tell lies."

"Screw you, too." Stella got up from the table and walked over to the nameless hamster. "C'mon, Jamie, let's go." She felt a sweatdrop roll down the back of her head as "Jamie" yawned and fell asleep. "...Shucks..."

Jake stood up and walked over to Stella. "Stella, you forgot, didn't you?"

"I forgot what?" Stella glanced around uneasily.

"You forgot about that one day we spent together."

"I forgot about that one day I was forced to spend with you." Stella rolled her eyes.

"...Dammit, don't ruin my moment! Why don't we just go into the living room and spend time-"

"Quality bonding time with a psycho. Grand."

"Please, Stells."

"PLEASE DO NOT CALL ME BY MY NICKNAME, NO, THANK YOU."

"...Okay. Please, Stella, I'm BEGGING you. Just one day? You know, you're gonna spend the rest of your life with me, so we might as well get started now."

"Does that mean I'm gonna commit suicide in the next day because I've been around you? Fun fun fun. I'm so excited. I so cannot wait."

"Fun, we'll commit suicide together. How do you plan to die?"

"...I'm not serious, genius."

"I am."

"Go ahead and kill yourself now...let's get it over with so I can get the hell out of here."

"...No."

Stella sighed. "Okay, what do you want?"

"I want to spend a day with you. We'll do stuff, like play board games and-"

"I kill you? Wow, I knew it!"

"...No, we'll play board games and-"

"Spend the rest of the day wallowing in lameness. Yes, for the rest of my life, I will be looked upon as a lame-o. You already are, so you won't know the difference."

"...Stella, you're a smartass."

"Nah?"

"Okay, are we gonna go ahead and start our day?"

"Sure, let's get the lameness over with." Stella rolled her eyes as she walked out of the dining room and into the living room. Jake walked behind her. Stella lied back on the couch and watched as Jake opened a large closet and fished things out of it. He came up with a lot of board games and et cetera. He set them up and whispered to Stella, "Okay, Stella. You ready to play?"

"Whatever, as long as I get through wallowing in this lameness of yours." Stella got off of the couch and lied on the ground in front of whatever board game Jake put in front of her. She didn't even know what she was doing. It was just getting her through the game. She didn't know what was going on either.

"Dammit, you won," Jake muttered.

"Dammit, I did? Dude, I didn't even, like, know what I was doing," Stella murmured.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: What Happened Last Night, Eh?

With Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan...

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan walked up the staircase to their room. Mike told them to go when they wanted if they even wanted to, but he had everything he wanted out of Chad. The three double agents walked into the guest room and flopped on the three beanbag chairs.

"So...what DID you do last night, CC?" Natsu asked.

Caitlin looked down at the ground. "Okay, I've got to explain it in full."

After Caitlin explained the part about Boss, she told the two other double agents the short convo she and Mike had. She then went into a flashback as she told the story...

FLASHBACK

"So...what now?" Caitlin inquired Mike.

Mike shrugged as he stood up. "I guess we could go ahead and talk about what we're gonna do about your 'hubby'." He reached down and held out his paw. She took it, and he helped her up.

Caitlin blushed again. "Well, uh... Where are we gonna go?"

Mike flashed his brown eyes. "You've never seen my room here, have you?"

Caitlin shook her head. "Nope."

Mike took her paw and whispered, "I'll show you."

"Akay," Caitlin responded as they walked down the hall. She wondered why they weren't going back to the front room and why they were going on farther down in the hallway. Caitlin walked alongside Mike to a door. Mike opened the door, and there was a staircase. He lead her in and closed the door behind himself. Mike lead her up the staircase, where there was another door. He kicked open the door and there was another shorter hallway. The two Bad Hams walked to the end where there was a large door. Mike turned toward Caitlin and whispered, "And here we are!" He then threw open the door.

Caitlin's jaw dropped. The Master Bedroom was the largest bedroom in the whole mansion, five times larger than the very large guest room. There were numerous items lying around (typical for a guy), and Mike had a large desk piled with papers and et cetera. There was a large window next to the large bed, and there was an extremely large widescreen television. He had a few file cabinets that had more papers stacked on top of them. There was even a very nice pool table. There were things all over the floor, and Caitlin knew Mike would've kept things cleaner everywhere else but his room, just like her: She loves keeping everywhere other than her room clean.

Mike and Caitlin stepped into the room. He closed the large door behind her and said, "Yeah, the way I showed you to my room is the only way to get here. I even got a private library!" Mike walked over to a door right next to his room's door and threw it open. Caitlin peered inside to see a large library filled up with books. "Whoa, like, dude... I'd never be able to read that many books in two lifetimes! Have you read them all?"

"Proudly, I say yes." Mike winked as he closed the door. He walked over to his bed. "Come over here."

Caitlin felt a sweatdrop on the back of her head as she walked over to Mike. He sat up on his bed and pulled her atop of it. "Talk to me, CC. Do you really want to stay married to him?" Mike pulled her close to him and kissed her neck. Caitlin turned wan and pushed him away. "Ewww...," she murmured. "Yes, I'm still married."

Mike felt a sweatdrop roll down the back of his head. "Man, you're no fun." He shrugged. "Oh well. What do you want me to do about your husband?"

Caitlin shrugged. "What can you do?"

"I can call him up and tell him off."

"...I think that'd just make it worse."

"Okay. I'll call him up and tell him you want to tell him off."

"...That'd make it even worse. Are you TRYING to make it worse?"

"...Man, you're no fun."

"Why are you saying I'm no fun?"

"Because. Stella's funner than you."

"...Good God..."

"What?"

"Have you two...you know...?"

"Yes."

"...Really?"

"Yes."

"Were you drunk?"

"No."

"When did you?"

"...I'll tell you that story later. I'm trying to save all the stories for Friday. That's very relevent to what I'm gonna tell you and the other two that day."

"Yay, I get to be told the beginning of a tragic love story. How exciting." Caitlin rolled her eyes. "So what are you gonna do?"

"Well, I can tell him to get over you being my double agent or he can just divorce you." Mike shrugged. "Very easy."

"...You don't know Boss. He's very-"

"Stubborn. Yes, I spent THREE WEEKS with the fricking guy."

"...Oh yeah!"

"...Don't tell me you FORGOT..."

"I did."

"...Dammit, CC!" Mike rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"You're so blonde!" He laughed. "That's why I like you, CC." He kissed her on the neck again.

Caitlin once again pushed him away. "I SAID THAT I'M STILL MARRIED, NO, THANK YOU."

"...Sorry..." Mike looked into Caitlin's eyes. "I can't help but think you're Stella."

"So by now you two would be making out and stuff?"

"...I will keep that confidental, no, thank you."

"Man, you really ARE a perv. I thought Number 1 was kidding with me."

"...I will not comment on that anymore." Mike stood up. "I will eventually get to your 'hubby' and get him to forgive you. Or you know, I could convince him you're not a Bad Ham."

Caitlin looked up at Mike. "You could?"

"I could tell him I kidnapped you or something. I could even make up a story that I, like, forced you to be in the Bad Hams.""...You DID force me to be in the Bad Hams!"

"...Oh, yeah, I did, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"...Dammit, CC!"

"What?"

"You're so frank! But that's another thing I like about you..." He leaned over toward her, but she pushed him away.

"I AM STILL MARRIED. EARTH TO MIKE, I'M NOT STELLA."

"...Oh, yeah. Sorry." Mike shrugged. "I wanna show you something."

Caitlin stood up and walked over with Mike to another door. He threw it open to reveal a closet. Caitlin cocked her head to the side and inquired, "What's so special about a closet?"

Mike beckoned her to follow him. He and she walked to the end of the closet to a door. Mike glanced back at Caitlin before he threw open the door.

Caitlin's eyes shone twice as much. There was a large pool and hot tub through the door. She walked in and looked around. "Wow, Mike! This is really impressive! You got a lot of money, you know?"

Mike nodded.

Caitlin walked up to the edge of the pool. "Wow! It's so-" Caitlin was interrupted as Mike pushed her into the pool. She landed in it, and Mike laughed at her. "Mike!"

Mike laughed, "Haha! You're so easy to push around." He backed up and jumped in, too.

Caitlin clung to the side and watched as Mike surfaced. "But can you swim, Mike?"

"Of course!" Mike retorted as he swam toward her. "Can you?"

"Yeah, but..."

Mike picked her up and shouted, "Okay!" He then threw her into the water.

Caitlin surfaced and spit out water. "Ha, I did that when I was little..." She swam toward Mike. "Yeah..."

He picked her up again and threw her again.

Once Caitlin got above water, she giggled and yelled, "Mike! Don't do that!"

Mike laughed. "As I said, you're so easy to push around." He swam over toward her and whispered, "So, you like this?"

"Yeah, of course!" Caitlin giggled and blushed.

"I'll show the other two double agents on Friday." Mike winked. "Don't tell them about it. I want it to be a surprise."

"Akay," Caitlin replied.

After about an hour of swimming around in the pool, Caitlin and Mike got out and went into the hot tub. Caitlin realized her black dye had come out in the pool and parts of the pool had black dye floating in it. Mike shrugged and muttered, "Well, at least the black dye comes out."

Caitlin nodded. "Yeah."

Mike looked over toward Caitlin and whispered, "It's so hard not to see Stella in your place."

Caitlin looked up at Mike. "Yeah, I know. It's hard not to see Boss in your place."

Mike shrugged. "But I'm much hotter."

Caitlin laughed. "You're so self-indulgent!"

"I know." Mike winked.

After a while longer, Caitlin crawled out of the hot tub. "Whoa, I'm, like, burning up now..."

Mike walked out and walked over to the door. He turned around toward Caitlin and said, "Come along now."

Caitlin followed him as he exited the door. They walked through the closet and back into the Master Bedroom. Mike lied back on his bed as Caitlin shook off her fur. She sat down next to Mike and whispered, "Now what?"

Mike looked up at her. "Could you possibly stay in her for tonight?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Akay. Why?"

"Well, I need someone to talk to." Mike sighed. "I haven't been without Stella this long for a long time... I've forgotten what it's felt like to be left alone for a while... I mean, we're so close and all..."

Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, Boss doesn't like it when I leave either."

Mike sat upward and looked at Caitlin. "Yeah, I could have figured that. He's a control freak-"

"Like you."

"...Exactly, CC."

"I often feel that you two could be the best of friends if you just didn't do all of the things you do wrong to him. He doesn't deserve how you treat him."

"Oh? Now you're gonna go bust my ass because you think I'm not doing the right thing?" Mike got his angry flame in his brown eyes. "I'm doing everything right. I would bust my ass if I did something wrong, but have I yet bust it? No. That means I'm doing nothing wrong."

"Mike, you don't understand. You're not doing the right thing towards him or his group."

"Now you, my own first double agent, decide to go against me? Wow, and I thought you would be a great second wife for me."

"No, Mike, you don't understand. I'm not against you totally. I'm just against you when you're out doing my hubby wrongly. You two could be best friends if you tried."

"I tried once. It didn't work."

"When?"

"Don't you remember? He just smarted off again, so I had to get back."

"You're just about revenge, you know that?"

"Yes."

"Sigh... I wish you two would get along."

"I'm gonna try to get along when I talk to him tomorrow night."

"Hmm... I got an idea. Why don't you be my second husband?"

"Haha, VERY funny."

After a few more minutes of talking, Mike looked at the time. It was about one o'clock in the morning, and he muttered, "I suppose we need to go to bed now. You can just sleep where ever you want in here tonight." Mike looked down at his bed. "I'll be here."

Caitlin nodded as she walked over to a chair. "I'll be here."

Mike frowned as he walked over to the chair. "I'll be here, too."

Caitlin rolled her eyes as she walked over to part of a cleared area of the floor. "I'll be here."

Mike hesitated before walking over to her and saying, "I'll be here, too."

Caitlin frowned. "I'll be where ever you're not."

"And I'll be where ever you're at."

"...Dammit, Mike!"

Mike flashed his playful smile. "What?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "I guess." She walked over to the bed and lied down. "Just don't touch me."

Mike lied down next to her. "Just don't touch me."

END OF FLASHBACK

"Man, that story sucked," Megan murmured. "It was somewhat perverted, too."

Caitlin shrugged. "It's what happened."

"What happened NEXT?" Natsu pressed.

Caitlin thought for a moment. "Well..."

FLASHBACK

Caitlin opened her sapphire blue eyes slowly. She turned pale and was about to throw up. Mike had latched himself onto her in his sleep, and he was just snoring away. Caitlin rolled her eyes and pushed his head off her chest. He opened his eyes and looked up at Caitlin. "...SHIT, CC, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???"

"...Excuse moi, Mike, but what are YOU doing?" Caitlin retorted as she grabbed his lower arms.

Mike groaned and looked at the clock on his wall. It said it was about seven thirty in the morning. He rolled off of his bed and muttered, "I'm awake..."

Caitlin sat up and stood up on the floor. "Lemme guess... While in your sleep, you supposed I was Stella. Damn..."

Mike grinned as he stood up. "So?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Can I use your shower?"

Mike shrugged. "Sure. Need any black dye?"

"Yeah."

"It's in there somewhere."

"...You dye your fur?"

"Nope. I just keep it to give to my double agents."

Caitlin nodded. "Riiight..."

Mike shrugged. "Just hurry up."

"Akay."

END OF FLASHBACK

"That's about it." Caitlin shrugged.

Natsu and Megan nodded. "That still sucked," Megan murmured.

"Yeah, I guess," Caitlin replied.

Natsu shrugged. "Whatever." She stood up from her beanbag chair and ran into the wall. Natsu fell back onto the floor. "...I've been...dying...to do that...."

"We could somehow tell," Caitlin giggled. "But I do think the 'Let's Deprive Mike Of Stella' torment is a bit too much for him, don't you?"

Natsu and Megan nodded.

"But I do wonder what stories he's gonna tell us..."

"Prolly stories about Stella." Megan rolled her eyes. "You know what? You have to promise not to tell ANYONE what I'm about to tell you."

Caitlin and Natsu nodded. "Akay."

"I sorta...um...like Mike now."

"...!!! Oh my God, so do I!" Caitlin shouted.

"Really?" Megan sighed.

"Am I the only one who dislikes Mike?" Natsu inquired.

"Yes," Caitlin and Megan replied in unison.

"Maybe we should go out now and see what Chad's up to," Caitlin said. "He might have something extra to tell us."

Megan and Natsu groaned as the three double agents walked out the door.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: More "Lovely" Stories

With Stella...

FLASHBACK

"Who's brilliant idea was this?" Stella asked with a pissed off voice.

The maid shrugged. "Your father's, I suppose."

Stella sighed. "Can I just throw up now and stay in bed for the rest of the day so I can get out of this?"

"Just TRY to have a good time, Stells, and it'll pass by quickly."

"Can I slit my wrist so it'll go faster?"

"...No."

Currently Stella and the maid were in Stella's bedroom. Stella was wearing a silver dress that blended in with her spots. The maid was pacing around.

Stella sighed again. "So Jake is gonna come here, pick me up, and we're going to this Carney Fest?"

"...Yes, in simple words," the maid muttered.

"I hate Carneys," Stella murmured under her breath.

"...Me, too," the maid whispered.

"Stella! Stella! Come down here!" Simon's voice called from far away.

Stella stood up and brushed off her dress. "Dammit, I don't wanna go."

"Miss Stella!" the maid gasped.

"...What?" Stella sighed.

"You said the magical D word!"

"So?" Stella retorted as she walked out the door.

Stella walked down the hallway, to and down the stairs, and walked into the parlor. Simon and Jake were standing there talking with light whispers so Stella couldn't hear them. They turned toward Stella. Simon nodded and remarked, "You two have a good time. Don't be back too late! Ha ha..."

Jake nodded gleefully as he took Stella by the paw. She bit her lip and gritted her teeth as she walked with him out of the mansion. Stella glanced around and didn't see any cars. "...So where's your car?"

"...Car? Oh, I don't have one." Jake shrugged.

Stella sighed angrily.

After a while, the two finally came to a large gate with a ticket booth. There was a long line, but it passed quickly. It was about their turn to pay for their tickets, but suddenly...

"Move it! Move it! Outta my way!" a booming voice shouted.

Stella flashed her silver eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Bad Ham dictator, Mike, with the Numbers. They walked up to the booth, and the person behind the ticket booth cowered. Mike rolled his eyes. "You. Yeah, you. Give us all free passes 'cuz I don't feel like paying you again. Yeah, the rest of the people in this line, too."

The person in the ticket booth cowered still.

A few minutes later, the Bad Hams were out of sight as everyone else in the line got their free passes. This was one of those occasions where "they" did something for others (still not very lawful, but meh). Jake was shivering because of the sight of them and the biting cold wind. Once he and Stella got into the carnival, Stella only remembered being dragged onto a Ferris wheel.

"I hate heights," Stella murmured angrily. "I hate Ferris wheels. I hate the cold. I hate you."

Jake rolled his eyes and sighed.

Before the Ferris wheel even got started, Stella got off of it. Jake was about to get off, but then it started, so Stella walked off alone. He yelled at her to wait for him, but she kept on walking.

"This is torture in a park," Stella shouted as she stomped her foot. "I want out!"

Stella continued walking around with nothing to do. The Ferris wheel was somewhere, but she didn't know where. The crowds were large, and she soon lost her way, and thus she couldn't find her way out.

"DAMMIT!" Stella shouted as she stood in the middle of the kids' area. Women with their young children covered their children's ears as they slowly walked away. Stella continued shouting. "I CAN'T FIND MY DAMN WAY OUT OF THIS DAMN PLACE!"

"Mommy, what does 'damn' mean?" a random little kid asked their mother.

Stella shouted angrily more curses into the biting cold, some that are too out there to write down. She paced angrily around the park, not able to find her way out. She soon just gave up and leaned back against a fence.

A man walking by glanced at her eerily. He turned toward her and remarked, "Ya know, I wouldn't be 'ere 'lone."

"Why?" Stella retorted as she crossed her arms.

"The 'ad 'ams 're some'here," he said before walking away.

"Well, screw you, too," Stella muttered as she stopped leaning against the fence and started walking. She walked until she came to a ride that spun around and around. Stella walked up to it and walked inside it when it stopped. She leaned up against one of the panels on it. A few others walked on, but some got off when some of the Numbers in the Bad Hams got on with Mike. Stella looked up barely and hid her face when he walked by her. He glanced at her for a second and then leaned up against the panel beside her. Mike flashed his brown eyes and whispered in his dark voice, "You were at the store the other day, weren't you?"

Stella nodded slightly. "Yes, I was with my father."

He nodded, too. "Nice. What's-"

Before he could say anything else, the ride started spinning. The force of the spinning magneted everyone to their panels, and the panels slid up and down. When the ride stopped, Stella looked beside her, but the sly dictator wasn't there anymore, and neither were any of the Numbers. Stella sighed as she walked off the ride and stepped away from it.

Suddenly Jake appeared. "I've been looking for you," he said as he tried to hold her paw. She jerked her paw away and muttered, "Take me home. Now."

Jake shrugged and sighed. "Alright, I guess," he mumbled.

END OF FLASHBACK

"...Stella?" Jake inquired as he tapped her on the shoulder.

Stella jumped up. "I'M AWAKE."

"...Okay..."

She and Jake were in the middle of the living room. He was talking about something, but Stella hadn't been paying attention, and Jake sort of realized. Jake sighed as he whispered, "Are you listening?"

"No," Stella responded frankly.

Jake sighed again as he stayed silent. Stella did not say anything either.

With the double agents...

"I wonder where Chad is today," Caitlin whispered as they walked along the main street of Hamster City.

Megan and Natsu shrugged. "I guess he's off doing whatever," Megan mumbled.

"Yeah, out in one of the alleys or something," Natsu responded. "I wish this was over with; I miss Howdy."

"I miss Boss," Caitlin whispered.

"...I miss whoever," Megan muttered.

Caitlin suddenly saw Chad sitting atop of a trash can writing down something onto a pad of paper. She shouted, "Chad! Over here!"

Chad looked up. "_Hi, Shoxxi_ gals! What's _up_?"

"Not much other than listening to your self-enthusiasm," Megan retorted.

"_What_ does _self-enthusiasm_ mean?"

"...Sigh," the three double agents sighed.

"_What?_"

"..." The three double agents never said a word as Chad started talking again.

"_Well_, the _wedding_ is _the_ day _after tomorrow_," he explained. "_I _won't be _able_ to _meet you_ tomorrow _because_ of _plans_."

"And we looked like we cared?" Caitlin muttered.

Meanwhile...

"Why won't you listen to me? I'm TRYING to talk to you!" Jake complained to Stella as she paced around the room.

"Look, Jake, I got the perfect solution for your heartbreak and depression," Stella retorted. "Cry a river, and then drown in it." She looked away and sat down on the couch. "And no, I don't care about what you're about to say, so just don't say it."

Jake sighed as he walked to the wall and whispered, "Alright, I suppose..."

FLASHBACK

Jake waited politely in the parlor. He sat in one of the overfilled chairs, and Simon sat across from him. Simon was whistling a simple tune in an uptight tone.

"Sooo...," Simon whispered, "...you like her, right?"

"Of course, sir," Jake responded.

"You _do_ want to...possibly...marry her, right?"

"Yes, sir, I do." Jake nodded enthusiastically.

"Grand! I already have all of the plans."

"Wa...wait a sec...," Jake muttered as he stood up. "You already planned on having her marry me?"

"Oh, yes, I have. Five days from today." Simon nodded as he stood up, too.

"Wow, things are picking up speed... Yes, sir! Yes, sir, I would!"

"Grand, grand, grand!"

Jake paused. What if Simon found out he didn't have a lot of money? What would happen then? He put up a flashing smile and whispered, "Yes, sir."

Stella then walked into the parlor. Jake and Simon automatically turned toward her.

Simon nodded and remarked, "You two have a good time. Don't be back too late! Ha ha..."

Jake stood up and took Stella's paw in his. They walked out of the parlor and out the door. There were not any cars around, so Stella asked, "...So where's your car?"

"...Car? Oh, I don't have one." Jake shrugged.

Stella sighed angrily.

After a while, the two finally came to a large gate with a ticket booth. There was a long line, but it passed quickly. It was about their turn to pay for their tickets, but suddenly...

"Move it! Move it! Outta my way!" a booming voice shouted.

Jake did not even look. He knew who it was. Jake held onto Stella's paw tighter despite the fact he was close to cutting off her circulation. After a minute, the line moved again, and for some unknown reason, the ticket booth person gave them free passes. He shrugged as he dragged Stella behind him as he walked through the gate and to the Ferris wheel.

"I hate heights," Stella murmured angrily. "I hate Ferris wheels. I hate the cold. I hate you."

Jake rolled his eyes and sighed.

Before the Ferris wheel even got started, Stella got off of it. Jake was about to get off, but then it started, so Stella walked off alone. He yelled at her to wait for him, but she kept on walking.

"Wa...wait! Don't leave!" Jake yelled after her. "Wait for me somewhere! Oh!"

Jake was somewhat upset and pissed off by the time he got off the Ferris wheel. Admittedly, he hated heights, too. Jake could not find Stella anywhere. He watched as a man walked by.

The man glanced at Jake. "Ya lookin' 'or some'in?"

"Yes, a girl. She's about seventeen, she was wearing a silver dress-"

"Zeh gallie ya lookin' 'or 'ent to zeh a'spinnin' 'ide," the man said before he walked away.

"'Zeh a'spinnin' 'ide'? What the crap?" Jake shouted. "Does he mean 'THE SPINNING RIDE'?"

"Yea," the man shouted back at him.

"...Okay! That makes sense," Jake said as he walked toward the spinning ride.

Right when he walked to the spinning ride, Stella was getting off of it. He rushed over to her.

"I've been looking for you," he said as he tried to hold her paw. She jerked her paw away and muttered, "Take me home. Now."

Jake shrugged and sighed. "Alright, I guess," he mumbled.

END OF FLASHBACK


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Mike's Phone Call

A long time later after dinner...

Mike walked to the phone with Caitlin trailing behind him. He turned around when he came to the phone near the dining room and looked into Caitlin's sapphire eyes directly.

"This is going to take a while, and I have it all figured out."

"Really?" Caitlin looked down at the ground.

"Yes, and you shall see." Mike picked up the phone and dialed the clubhouse's number. It rang loudly (well, let's just say that Caitlin could hear it) until Boss answered.

"Hamha?"

"Say something else for once."

"Mike?"

"Yes, who else?"

"Well, I was hoping that the pizza man-"

"I'm not on the phone with you to talk about the pizza man. I'm here to talk to you about Caitlin."

"...What do you know about her?"

"Well, you didn't hear about 'the bet', did you?"

"What the crap?"

"Hamtaro bet Caitlin and her two friends something... I forgot what... He'll deny you if you ask him if he bet them. Well, he won, and they now are finishing up their week with us."

"HUH?!! HOW COME NO ONE-"

"Shut up! Listen. In two days, come to Hamster City Police Station about one in the afternoon. I'll send them to you."

"Uh, okay... You haven't-"

"No. I personally like your wife."

"Shit... Shut up."

"No, you shut up. She's a nice gallie. And I heard you yelling at her LAST night... ... ...A denial?"

"What-"

"No questions. Do you deny that?"

"Yes, I-"

"You can't deny it. I told her to make up a story that she worked for me, and you responded by yelling at her. What a poor husband YOU are. Now why did you yell at her?"

"I got mad-"

"Tough shit if you got mad. Now in two days, I want you to apologize FULLY. If you don't, I'll return." Mike slammed down the corded phone and turned back around toward Caitlin. "Job done. Now believe I can do anything?"

"...Yes, I do." Caitlin nodded.

"Ha ha, I'm so great..."

"So now what?"

"Tomorrow comes."

"What happens tomorrow?"

"You'll see..." Mike laughed his signature laugh as he walked away down the dark hallway.

"...Sometimes, he amazes me very easily." Caitlin blushed admiringly as she walked down the hallway the other way.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Last Few Stories

The day before the wedding...

"Such a beautiful Friday to stay in." Caitlin looked out the guest room's window as Natsu and Megan paced around the room. "Mike said that he would explain some things to us today..."

"I wonder what he wants to tell us...," Natsu wondered aloud.

"I think it's going to all be about Stella," Megan declared. "It'd only make sense."

Meanwhile...

"Sigh..." Stella sat on the edge of the bed in the room as she wondered about everything.

"Remember, you're dreaming... You're dreaming...," she whispered to herself. "I regret this... I will always miss and hurt you... I was dying to know if anyone-"

"What are you talking about?" Jake inquired as he poked his head in through the door. "I only know you're singing, and it sounds really beautiful."

"..." Stella turned away. "To my father, I'm sorry... You made me..."

Jake stood bewildered for a minute before closing the door. He walked down the hallway to the living room. The voiceless hamster was pacing around the living room. Jake lied back on the couch thinking...

FLASHBACK

Jake was sitting in the middle of the parlor. Simon was pacing around the room with a worried look on his face. Jake noted this and looked up with his green eyes.

"What's wrong, Simon?"

"Well...I haven't said anything to Stella...about my...plan... Have you said anything?"

"...No..."

"I'm wondering when I should go say something her."

"Where is she?"

"She went outside next to the fountain in the courtyard. She likes to arrange the water lillies in it... Stella loves flowers, you know? Oh, her favorite flowers are soft pink roses... She places them everywhere... Sigh..."

"Soft pink like her beauty..."

"Yes, exactly. You know what? I'll go tell her right now." Simon walked out of the parlor toward the front door.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Sigh..." Jake sighed as he sat up.

Meanwhile, Stella was too thinking. She could remember a lot of the events that happened once...

FLASHBACK

"You were sleeping in the evening; I was thinking less than perfect... Remember, you're dreaming, you're dreaming," Stella sang as she kneeled next to the fountain. "I love you, I love you, you're bleeding..."

"I hope you're talking about Jake, Miss Stella," Simon's voice echoed in her ears.

Stella looked over her shoulder to see Simon. "Hello, Father."

"Uh, I have got to fill you in on a lot of things..."

"Such as...?"

"YouaregoingtomarryJakeinfourdayslikethat." Simon did not even bother spacing out his words.

Stella stared blankly at her father. "I don't think I heard you correctly..."

"Youheardmecorrectly... I mean, you heard me correctly. You are going to marry Jake in four days like that."

"WHAT?!!!!! NO!!!"

Simon jumped. "What did you tell me?"

"I WILL NEVER!!!"

"Excuse ME?"

"I WILL NOT MARRY HIM!!!"

"I like the man. I think you should, too. I could make a good proffit off him even though I know he doesn't even have electricity."

"I AM NOT GOING TO! YOU CANNOT MAKE ME!"

"Stella, listen. It's too late. I already had it all planned out before I even asked him. It's not like he didn't ask you; I didn't ask you. Now I suggest you try accept it."

"NO!"

Simon's anger was beginning to build up. "Stella, I'm warning you..."

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Okay, Stella. I'll arrange it to be in two days." Simon walked away back to the mansion.

Stella watched Simon start walking away. "I HATE YOU!"

END OF FLASHBACK


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Mike's Story Part 1

Meanwhile...

"So, WASSUP?" Caitlin shouted loudly as Mike entered the guest room.

"Um, well, I was wanting to tell you a few stories that are very vital...," Mike muttered. "Come on to my room, and I'll tell you them."

The three double agents followed Mike out into the hallway and down the front stairs in to the entrance room. They walked down the hallway to the right and to the end of the hallway to the door. Mike opened it and led them up the stairs inside the doorway. They followed until they came to the door at the top. Mike opened it slowly and walked inside his room. Natsu and Megan gasped as they walked in, but Caitlin did not since she had already seen the room.

Mike walked over to a section of the room with a leather chair and three beanbag chairs. He reclined in the leather chair as the three double agents each sat in a beanbag chair.

"So what kind of stories do you want to tell us?" Caitlin asked.

"I wanted to tell you exactly how I got into this mess," Mike whispered...

FLASHBACK

"This neighborhood has a lot of rich snobs here, you know, Mike?" Number 1 said as they rode down a large, rich neighborhood with lots of huge mansions in Mike's silver convertable Porche. Mike nodded as he parked next to one of the driveways.

"Where do you figure we should go to look for some hams to prey on?" Number 1 asked. "There's a lot here, you know. Lots of rich snobs. Rich snobs means more pay, and the further down this road you go, the richer they get."

Mike pointed toward the cul-de-sac. "Let's go check down there to see if anyone's caught unaware."

It was the middle of the afternoon. Mike and Number 1 got out of the silver Porche and started walking toward the cul-de-sac. It wasn't much of a walk. When they got to the end, there was a monstrous stone and stucco mansion with a beautiful, very green front yard. It had a large cobblestone driveway with a large fountain spurging with water.

Mike was focused on the beautiful mansion. He also watched as a dressed up hamster that looked rather angered walked in through the door in the front. Mike wondered what was going on at the place and why the hamster that had entered the mansion looked so angered. He smiled maliciously and whispered, "We gonna terrorize them?"

"MIKE!!! LOOK!!!" Number 1 shouted as he pointed to the attractive fountain. "LOOK AT HER!!!"

Mike looked over at the fountain. There he saw a purely beautiful silver and pure white girl hamster wearing a hot pink dress. She was one of the most beautiful hamster girls Mike had ever seen in his life. She had her face in her paws and she was on the ground.

Mike frowned when he saw that she was upset. "What's wrong?"

"Don't know." Number 1 shrugged. "You know, this would be a great opportunity to have me go back and get the Porche, and you can watch her until I get back, and then you can grab her and we'll drive off! We could get a FORTUNE by kidnapping HER... More than those really young kids that you find playing in the street."

"...I don't think so." Mike's chocolate brown eyes flashed. "She looks like she needs help. She also looks familiar... She's beautiful..."

"NO!!! DON'T!!! OUR FORTUNE!!!" Number 1 shouted as Mike walked toward the awe-inspiring girl hamster. "YOU CAN STILL TURN BACK!!! DON'T GO UP TO HER!!! DON'T!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! TURN BACK NOW!!! NOOO!!!!!"

"Oh, shut up!" Mike retorted as he walked up to the fountain. The girl hamster didn't acknowledge him she saw him. Mike sat down on his knees beside her, sighed, and put his arm around her shoulders. The girl hamster jumped up and screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" He jumped up but fell back.

The girl hamster gasped and sat down beside him. "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir. Did I surprise you?" she inquired in the cutest voice.

Mike blushed as he sat upward. "Oh, me? I'm fine. What's wrong with you? You were crying, and I wanted to see what I could do."

The girl hamster blushed as she whispered, "Oh... Yeah... It's horrible! My father has told me I have to marry a man that I don't want to marry!" She looked up into Mike's daring, chocolate brown eyes. "You... You're... You're...!!!"

Mike quickly slid one of his arms around her waist, pulled her toward him, and put his paw on her mouth. "Shhh...," he whispered. "Yes. I'm Mike of the Bad Hams." He removed his paw from her mouth. "Don't be so loud. I can't get caught. Otherwise, well, don't know what would happen otherwise. Just be quiet."

The girl hamster's eyes shone. "Oh! I've been looking for you for SO long!!! I'm actually meeting you!!!" She snuggled against his chest. "I admire you more than anyone in this world... I'm Stella. I need to run away from this place quick. Can you help me?"

Mike blushed a bright red. He nodded confidently and whispered, "Of course! Anyone admiring me must be with me, and anyone who is with me is my friend!" He looked down into Stella's silver eyes. "I know what you would do perfectly. You can be my assistant. Like that?"

Stella's eyes grew stars in them. "REALLY?!" she shouted as she hugged him tightly. "OH!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!"

Mike blushed redder than a rose and then pushed her away. "You're about to leave the old world behind and enter a newer one. Are you sure you want to do this, Stella? You can never turn back."

Stella nodded. "More sure than I'll ever be. I want to leave the old world. I want to be in a newer world. I want to leave everyone in my life behind if I just get to be with you and the Bad Hams. I'm ready."

Mike glanced at the gargantuan mansion and then back at her. He took her delicate paw and whispered, "Well, Stella, let's go."

"Yes," Stella whispered back. Mike nodded and glanced toward the road. He led her down the cobblestone driveway onto the road. Mike saw Number 1 a few feet away looking at him with a rather frightened look. Number 1 walked up to Mike and Stella cautiously and asked, "Well, who are you, miss? I'm Number 1, one of the Numbers of the Bad Hams."

Mike looked into Stella's eyes and remarked, "This is Stella. She's my new assistant."

Number 1's look turned from rather frightened to complete terror. "A GIRL is YOUR assistant?! Mike! You and a GIRL?! That's uncalled for!"

"Yes," Stella retorted. "Do you have a problem with girls?"

"Yes," Number 1 returned sharply. "They're meant for...things...other things..."

Mike rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Number 1. Get over it. Let's just get back to the car before anyone sees us. They'll tell her father or whoever that she's with me if they see us..."

Number 1 nodded. "Whatever...," he muttered.

Mike led Stella down the road toward the convertible Porche. Number 1 followed closely behind. Once they got to the Porche, the three realized the Porche had only two seats.

Mike shrugged. "Number 1, you drive. I'll sit in the passenger's seat, and Stella, you can sit in my lap."

Number 1 muttered things under his breath as he sat in the driver's seat. Mike sat down in the passenger's seat and said, "Okay. C'mon, it's alright."

Stella looked back up at the cul-de-sac and then back at Mike. "Okay," she whispered as she sat in his lap. Once the door closed behind her, the Porche was speeding down the road, away from the cul-de-sac. It sped down toward the river that crossed into the outskirts, and the car crossed the river. They turned right and drove down a long time until they came to a large tree. Mike, Stella, and Number 1 got out of the Porche and walked up to what looked like a door in the front of the tree. Mike blushed as he whispered to Stella, "Welcome to the Bad Hams Place. No one knows about this place, so feel lucky right now. This is your new home from now on."

He then threw open the door. Stella's eyes coruscated. The front room was more beautiful than any room in her father's mansion. She, Mike, and Number 1 walked in through the front door. Mike led Stella up a set of stairs that was in the front room to a long hallway. Number 1 followed close behind.

While walking down the hallway, the trio walked past the game room. The rest of the Numbers were in there and were staring at Stella. Number 2 walked up to Mike and inquired, "Yo, Mike, who's dat?"

Mike blushed and announced, "This is Stella. She's going to be my new assistant."

Number 2's jaw dropped. "A GIRL?!"

Stella blushed violently and smacked him across the face. "Yes, do you have a problem with girls?"

The rest of the Numbers laughed at Number 2 as his cheek glowed with redness. He scowled as he walked away while murmuring something under his breath.

Mike shrugged and whispered, "Don't worry, Stella, Number 2 doesn't matter. Come along now." He continued walking down the hallway, and Stella followed close behind him.

Mike finally came to two double doors. He pushed one of them open, and told Stella, "Here. You can stay here if you like it."

Stella walked in behind Mike and gasped. "This is WAY bigger than my old room!" she gasped as she looked around. It wasn't decorated, but it had a large window covered with a curtain, a large bed with a canopy, a desk, a large flatscreen TV, a nightstand next to the bed, and miscellaneous items. "It just needs to be decorated."

Mike shrugged. "Do whatever you want with it. Hmm... Oh, you look pretty in your dress, but it's a BIT too pretty for the Bad Hams... You're gonna have to take it off and do something else with your style."

Stella glanced down at herself and blushed. "You don't wear dresses here, do you?"

"Nope, none."

Stella blushed brighter and whispered, "Then what DO I wear? Just the fur on my back?"

"Yes."

Stella blushed a very bright pink and whispered, "Alright." She glared at Mike and muttered, "Turn around."

Mike shrugged and turned around. When she told him to turn around again, Stella was just wearing the fur on her back. Anyone could now see the four, dazzling silver spots on her pure white fur. She smiled and picked her dress up off of the ground. She reached into its pocket and pulled out a silver ribbon. Stella tied it around her tail, and then she whispered, "Well, yeah... I love ribbons... That's one of the only things I collect, so if you see any you don't want lying around, could you give them to me?"

Mike nodded. "Uh, yeah..."

Stella blushed as she hugged Mike. "Thank you... Thank you for bringing me here."

Mike blushed. He didn't know what to say at the moment. The two didn't know Number 1 and Number 2 were watching from the doorway. Number 1 nodded and smiled brightly. "I think Mike's found someone he needs and wants. So sweet for a guy like him, is it not?"

Number 2 nodded. "Let's leave them alone, shall we?"

Number 1 nodded, too. The two Numbers then walked away from the doorway...

END OF FLASHBACK

Mike nodded. "Yup."

Caitlin glanced around from her beanbag chair to the other two double agents. "Is that the end of the story?"

Mike flashed his brown eyes. "Of course not! That would be so lame. I'll tell you what happened next..."

FLASHBACK

"Yeah, I got the reservations," Number 1 muttered as he and Mike reclined in chairs in the living room. "I called back in and said to add one more to the reservation. They said they couldn't until I retold them who we were." He sighed. "I'm gonna miss the 'There's 16 members in the Bad Hams.' Now it's gonna be 'There's 16 guys and 1 girl in the Bad Hams.'"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Get over it."

"I can't, Mike. I mean...she's a GIRL."

"Nah?" Mike rolled his eyes again. "I don't see what's so bad about Stella. She's a nice girl-"

"See? She's NICE."

"To ME. She wasn't so nice to Number 2..."

"Yeah, considering he's never been beaten down by a girl." Number 1 laughed. "That was cool..."

FLASHBACK IN THE FLASHBACK

Mike walked into the living room with Stella. The Numbers were standing in a circle in the middle of the room. Mike and Stella walked over. Mike walked up to Number 1 and said, "You'll need to call to add one more to our reservation for tonight."

Number 1 nodded. "Alright..."

Number 2 rolled his eyes. "Why can't we just throw the little bitch in one of the cells and do her that way? It'd be better for our reputation."

Stella got flames in her eyes. She threw a punch at Number 2, but he grabbed her paw. Stella threw another punch with her other paw, but he grabbed it, too. He laughed as Stella's face turned red.

"Haha, you've never been around us very long, obviously," he whispered.

Mike turned pale as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. "Stop it, you guys..."

Stella gritted her teeth as she shouted, "YOU BASTARD, NUMBER 2!" She then kicked him as hard as she could right in the crotch. Number 2's face turned pale as he let go of her paws and fell to the ground in pain. "DAMMIT, THAT **HURTS**!!!"

Mike and the rest of the Numbers' sides were splitting with laughter. Number 2 had been beaten down by a girl. Stella glared at Number 2 and whispered, "You need more anti oxidants."

"DAMMIT, YOU'RE THE **SIXTEENTH** HAM TO TELL ME THAT!" Number 2 gasped.

Stella rolled her eyes.

END OF FLASHBACK IN THE FLASHBACK

Mike and Number 1 laughed. "We always like to pick on Number 2 for some reason," Number 1 remarked.

"That's because you pick on him." Mike shrugged. "So..."

END OF FLASHBACK

"...Is THAT it?" Caitlin inquired.

Mike shook his head. "Nope. I got more..."

Megan laughed. "Poor Number 2!"

"That sounds like something I'd do to my brother!" Natsu giggled.

"...Riiight..." Mike shrugged. "Well... Let's go get some late lunch, shall we?"


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Jake's Last Story

With Jake...

FLASHBACK

Jake waited for a long while. When Simon came back a long time later, he had worry in his eyes and his lip quivering with anger.

"What's wrong, Simon?"

Simon breathed in sharply. "Nothing. Nothing at all." He sat down in one of the chairs. There was silence for quite a long time. Simon kept his eyes on the ground and did not look up frequently. Jake sat there wondering what had just happened.

Simon glanced at the time. It was a little before six. He sighed as a maid entered the room. Simon demanded, "Find Stella and bring her in here right away."

The maid nodded and inquired, "Where was she?"

"Outside next to the fountain. She should've come in a while after me."

"You came in around three, right?"

"Yes. Now find her."

The maid nodded again as she turned around and walked out of the parlor. About ten minutes later she came back into the room with a worried look on her face. Simon glanced eerily at her and interrogated, "Where is she, miss? Didn't you find her?"

"No, no one knows where she is at." The maid drew these words out sharply.

"**_WHAT?!! YOU CAN'T FIND HER?!!_**"

"No, no one could find her." The maid shuddered as Simon stood up and stomped past her. Jake jumped up and chased after him. They ran outside to the courtyard and glanced around outside. There was no trace of Stella.

One of the maids walked outside to Simon. Her face was pale and her paws her quivering. She looked into his eyes and whispered, "I saw the Bad Hams in the courtyard right after you came in."

Simon's jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not." The maid closed her eyes. "The leader and one of the Numbers were in the courtyard, and they took her..."

"SILENCE!" Simon paced around the fountain nervously. "No... You're not serious..."

"I saw them, too," another maid remarked as she walked up. "Yes, they took her. They walked her down to the end of the street..."

"..." Simon's eyes turned to cold glass as he walked back into the mansion.

Jake's green eyes were also glassy. He whispered to the two maids, "What do we do?"

The maids shrugged as they walked away.

END OF FLASHBACK


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Mike's Story Part 2

With Mike and the double agents...

After lunch, Mike and the three double agents walked back up to Mike's room. They sat back down in their places.

"I'll continue the story." Mike breathed deeply.

FLASHBACK

Mike looked at the time. He wore a formal jacket that blended in with his pure black fur. The reservation was for six, and currently it was five thirty. He turned to Number 1 and mumbled, "God, how long does it take a girl to get ready? We've been waiting here for an HOUR..."

Number 1 sighed. "You've forgotten how it's like to have a girl around. I haven't."

Mike shrugged. "I hope she gets down here soon."

Number 2 walked into the front room where the other two Bad Hams were. He crossed over and inquired, "Mike, why do _I_ have to sit next to her? That's SO unfair..."

"It's not SO unfair." Mike rolled his eyes.

"She's gonna be poking at me and everything. She'll find something to comment about. Can I sit next to Number 1?"

"No!" Number 1 shouted quickly. "Number 3 is sitting next to me. The odds on one side, the evens on the other. Got that clear?" He felt a sweatdrop going down the back of his head.

Mike rolled his eyes again with a wicked grin on his face. "Haha..."

The rest of the Numbers walked into the front room. Number 3 walked to Number 1 and whispered, "Dude, is she STILL not ready?"

Number 1 shook his head. "Nope."

A few minutes later, Mike sighed and muttered, "Okay, who's the one who's gonna go up there and drag her down here?"

"NUMBER 2!" all of the Numbers except Number 2 shouted.

"Mike!" a voice shouted.

Mike turned toward the grand staircase. At the top was Stella in a pink, sparkling evening gown with white gloves. He smiled and whispered, "Damn..."

Stella carefully descended the staircase. She walked over to Mike and whispered, "Damn, what?"

"Where the hell did you get that from?" he whispered as he looked at her dress.

Stella winked. "The maids helped me fix up the dress from earlier. They said they could make it better."

Mike nodded. "Nice..."

Stella nodded, too. "Well, are we going?"

Mike looked at the time, which said it was five fourty-five. "Yeah."

Right at six was when the Bad Hams (consisting of 16 guys and 1 girl) arrived at the restaurant. It was a super fancy restaurant, and Stella seemed to recognize it. She walked in with her arm laced in Mike's, and the Numbers walked behind them. Number 2 was laughing silently, and Number 1 nudged him.

The hostess looked up at Mike. She then looked at Stella. "Last time I looked, there was only 16 members in the Bad Hams. Is she...?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Yes. Problem?"

The hostess shook her head. "Please follow me."

The Bad Hams followed close behind the hostess as she led them to a large table. The odd Numbers sat on the right side, the even Numbers and Stella sat on the left side. Mike sat at the head of the table. The hostess gave them each a menu, and then she returned to the hostess station.

Number 2 sighed as he set his elbows on the table. Stella looked over at him and screamed. "OH MY GOD, YOU PUT YOUR FRICKING ELBOWS ON THE FRICKING TABLE!" she screamed. "TAKE THEM OFF! TAKE THEM OFF! YOU CAN REPENT NOW!"

Number 2's eyes got wide as the rest of the Numbers and Mike laughed. He turned red in his face and muttered, "Okay, for God's sake!" He then took his elbows off the table.

"Thank you," Stella responded as she set her napkin in her lap. "Thank you for actually listening."

Number 2 murmured something under his breath as Number 5 shouted, "Hey, dude, at least she didn't kick you in the balls again!" The other Bad Hams then broke out in laughter.

Number 2 turned redder as he crossed his arms and displayed an unpleased look on his face.

"So...," Mike said.

"So, _Stella_, are you used to being bad?" Number 1 inquired.

"...No...," Stella whispered.

Number 3 flashed his cloudy gray eyes and whispered, "Have you ever killed anybody?"

"No..." Stella felt a sweatdrop on the back of her head form.

Number 4 jumped in. "Have you ever beaten anybody down like Number 2?"

Stella turned pale. "No..."

Number 5 looked around. "Have you robbed anyone?"

"No..."

"Have you ever stabbed anybody?" Number 6 inquired.

"No..."

Number 7 leaned toward Stella. "Have you ever shot anyone?"

"No..."

Number 8 asked, "Do you even know how to use a gun?"

"No..."

Number 9 grinned. "Have you raped anyone before?"

"No..." The sweatdrop grew bigger on the back of her head.

"Have you ever beat anyone?" Number 10 questioned.

"No..."

"Have you ever even hurt anyone other than Number 2?" Number 11 said.

"Not really..."

"Have you kidnapped anyone before?" Number 12 inquired.

"No..."

"Have you stolen money from anyone?" Number 13 questioned.

"No..."

"Have you robbed a store?" Number 14 asked.

"No..."

"Have you done ANY sort of crime at all?" Number 15 rolled his eyes.

"No..." Stella looked down at the ground. "No."

The Numbers then broke out in laughter. She blushed violently as she frowned. "No, I haven't."

"This girl might be an interesting one," Number 1 laughed. "She sure hasn't done anything 'wrong' in her old world, but she hasn't done anything 'right' in this world!"

The Numbers broke into more laughter. Stella sighed angrily and shrugged it off. Mike had a sweatdrop rolling down the back of his head.

Number 2 flared his eyes and looked at Stella. "You didn't know how to do anything wrong in your old world, and now you don't know how to do anything right in your new world!"

"You know, it's not as if she's actually gonna have to do everything you have to," Mike remarked loudly as he flashed his chocolate brown eyes.

The Numbers stopped their laughter. "You mean, she doesn't _have_ to kill anybody?" Number 1 inquired.

Mike nodded. "She's just my assistant, which means she helps _me, me, and moi_. She doesn't have to do anything for _you_. She doesn't even have to listen to you."

Stella looked up at Mike with a bit of interest sparking in her eyes. "Actually, it would be nice if I knew how to do everything you can do." She looked from Mike to Number 1. "Perhaps you can teach me how to kill. I'd love to learn."

Number 1 turned pale and looked over at Mike with a look that said, "Do I REALLY _have to_ teach HER?" Mike nodded and looked over at him. "Yes, I know what you're about to ask me. You have to."

Stella smiled. "Lovely. Maybe you can teach me how to rob and everything else."

Number 1 nodded as a sweatdrop formed on his forehead. "Yes, I can. It would be quite entertaining to see how a girl killed a guy. Maybe by kicking him too many times in the balls?" He laughed as Number 2 scowled and crossed his arms.

Mike laughed, too. "Maybe. Hopefully that guy isn't Number 2."

"Or hopefully he is," Number 3 added.

Well, about fourty minutes later, while all of them were enjoying their entrees and stuff, Stella looked up and turned pale as she looked over at the table just a ways away from the table she was at with the other Bad Hams. She set down her fork and looked over at Mike. He looked back at her and inquired, "What's wrong, Stells?"

Stella pointed over to the other table. "Oh my God, that's my father."

And sure enough, there was Simon, Stella's father, at the other table. He was with a large group of hamsters, some of which lived in the rich neighborhood. There was also Jake, but he had his head hung low. There was also one of the major police officers, Officer Bob, sitting next to Simon. Stella realized they weren't laughing or talking about anything entertaining. They were talking in low murmurs and whispers. She wondered if they were talking about how she 'disappeared'. Stella also saw that there was an empty seat, which was where she would be sitting if she hadn't run away. Mike looked back at Stella and whispered, "You wanna leave?"

"No, I don't wanna leave, Mike." Stella's voice was purposely loud.

Officer Bob looked up and saw the Bad Hams at the other table. He leaned over toward Simon and whispered something. The famous officer then stood up and announced, "Well, if it isn't the _Bad Hams_..."

Mike stood up and threw his napkin down. "Well, if it isn't dear OLD _Officer Bob_..."

Stella watched as Number 1 stood up automatically. He walked over to Officer Bob and inquired, "Now, what would you want from us this time, _Officer_? Your forces are too afraid of us, and we overpower you, so what else do you want?"

Officer Bob walked past Number 1 and got in Mike's face. "So, _Master Mike_, what do you know about this girl named Stella?" He obviously wasn't looking over at the table.

Stella stood up and remarked, "That she's right here."

Officer Bob and the rest of the hamsters looked over at her as she walked over to Mike. Stella laced her arm with Mike's and whispered, "So, what do you want to know about me today, Bob?"

Simon stood up and walked over. He looked Stella over before whispering, "You're not serious, are you?"

Stella nodded. "What's wrong? You miss having control over your precious, non-existant jewel? Awww, how sweet...NOT."

Jake walked over, too. His face was pale as he whispered, "Stella, what are you doing?"

"Eat dirt, jerk." Stella flashed her silver eyes as she leaned against Mike and flipped him off. "Why don't you go away?"

Simon grabbed Stella by the shoulders and shook her. "STELLA, YOU ARE COMING HOME WITH ME RIGHT NOW!"

Number 1 turned red in the face as he shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO A GIRL LIKE STELLA LIKE THAT! THAT IS SO DAMN RUDE OF YOU!"

Stella blushed as she looked over at Number 1. Officer Bob was whispering something into his walkie talkie, and Number 1 glared at him with his sharp baby blue eyes. Officer Bob backed away as Number 1 towered over him. He then went into run mode as Number 1 pursued him.

Simon shook his head as he shouted louder, "STELLA, YOU'RE MY DAUGHTER! I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, AND YOU'RE COMING HOME!"

Mike expanded his razor sharp claws and slashed a deep wound into Simon's face. "Don't you DARE tell Stella what to do!" he hissed as his claws dripped with Simon's blood.

Simon felt the wound in his cheek. He stepped back and whispered, "What do you want from me? How can I get my daughter back?"

Stella glared straight into Simon's eyes. "Newsflash, _Father_, I'm a Bad Ham now."

Simon turned pallid. "You're not. I won't let you."

"And I won't let you control my life," Stella whispered back.

Suddenly the sirens of police cars went off outside. Mike looked at the other Numbers as Number 1 ran back. "All of you Numbers except for Number 1, GO!" The Numbers except for Number 1 nodded as they jolted out the door. Mike quickly pulled out his wallet and threw five hundred dollars down on their table before shouting, "C'mon, Stells, let's split this joint!"

Before Simon could say anything of disapproval, Mike swept Stella into his arms as they and Number 1 ran out. Simon shouted something to the other hamsters before running after the three Bad Hams.

Outside were too many police cars to count. Mike kept running with Stella holding onto him as tight as she could. Number 1 ran with haste and jumped into the silver convertible Porche from earlier. He started it up as Mike jumped over the side and into the passenger's seat. Once Mike and Stella were in, Number 1 took off as fast as he could back to the Bad Hams Place. They could faintly hear Officer Bob's voice yell, "STOP THEM! THEY'RE SPEEDING AND THEY DON'T HAVE SEATBELTS ON!"

"What a dork," Mike murmured.

Before they even knew it, the three Bad Hams were parking inside the parking garage of the Bad Hams Place. They still ran inside to the front room, where the other Bad Hams were. They were pacing the room, and Number 1 told Mike, "Okay, the safest place in this whole mansion is your room, Mike. I want you two to go there and stay there. You know the drill. We stay in here and make sure they don't get in. All those police officers want is your girl. They don't care about anything we've done. That father of hers probably paid them so much they're DYING to do this. So go and RUN!"

Mike nodded and looked back at Stella. "Follow me, Stella. We can't waste time." He then ran down the hallway to the left side of the room. Stella followed closely behind him. They passed by many conference rooms, the living room, and the dining room. They even passed by the movie theater. Mike and Stella then came to a doorway. Mike opened the door, and it revealed a staircase. He beckoned Stella to follow. When she came through the door, Mike closed it and pressed a button. She looked at the button and inquired, "What does that do?"

"That makes a panel come down, and it makes it looks like it's just a wall," Mike explained as they climbed up the stairs. When they came to a larger door, Mike looked back at Stella and whispered, "And this is my bedroom!" He then threw open the door to reveal an uberly large room. Stella looked around the room and entered. "Wow, impressive."

Mike nodded. "I've got something extra special to show you," he said as he walked over to a door next to the door. He opened it to show a closet. Stella peeked in and muttered, "What's so special about a closet?"

Mike beckoned her to follow him as he entered. They came to another door, and Mike threw it open. Stella's jaw dropped when the new room displayed a large pool and an amazing hot tub. She whispered, "Wow... I'd like to swim in it!"

"Yeah, just take off your dress, and you can." Mike laughed.

Stella blushed a slight pink and whispered, "Oh? Is that your best pick-up line?"

Mike blushed a light red. "No, I don't think."

Stella rolled her eyes with a cute smile on her face. She looked into his eyes and whispered, "You have any plans?"

Mike nodded slightly. "Maybe..."

"Am I included?"

"Maybe..."

"Does it include what your pick-up line was trying to get?"

"Maybe..."

Stella laughed as she and Mike walked back into the Master Bedroom. She walked over to his bed and whispered, "You got a really nice place here."

Mike nodded as he walked over to her. "Yeah, I guess. It's nicer you're here. Often when we have drills like this, I'm all alone... Hey, wanna have fun?"

Stella looked up at him and blushed a brighter pink. "How?"

"We'll take turns. You slip off your gloves, and I'll slip off my jacket. You slip off your dress, and I'll slip off my undershirt. We'll take it from there."

Stella nodded. "Okay," she whispered as she slipped off her gloves. Mike nodded as he took off his jacket. She blushed as she slowly took her dress off. His eyes widened as he took off his shirt. They then looked at each other. Mike nodded. "Not bad."

Stella blushed as she leaned up against him. "Not bad yourself." She slowly kissed him on the lips.

END OF FLASHBACK

"STOP THE STORY NOW," Megan shouted as Mike perked up. Caitlin and Natsu were laughing their heads off.

Mike shrugged. "Awww, you're-"

"No fun. We know." Caitlin laughed.

Mike shrugged again. "You didn't even let me get to the good part! Dammit."

Caitlin and Natsu were still laughing. "Getting horny, are weh?"

Mike blushed. "What would you expect?"

"I'm not too sure what we should expect. Anything from you, dear Master Mikey," Natsu laughed.

"Yeah, tootru," Megan said. "But can we skip to the part where you're DONE having your little moments?"

Mike shrugged. "I dunno. I sorta like those 'little moments', but duh, I'm a guy, so I like it automatically. Okay, so..."

FLASHBACK

Mike yawned as he stretched his arms. He pulled the sheets of the bed over him as he muttered, "So..."

Stella looked at him with a regretful look in her eyes. He sat up on his elbow and inquired, "Feeling remorse?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

"Nope." Mike shrugged. "I guess I'll never."

Stella rolled over onto her back and whispered, "What happens after this?"

Mike shrugged again. "Tomorrow?"

She giggled. "Oh, you're so cute...," Stella whispered as she put her paw on his cheek. "You always try to look on the bright side."

"Yeah, with you and the Numbers. With anyone else, I'm pessimistic so they will, too. Part of being the Bad Hams. Yeah, that's it, I guess."

Stella nodded. "Yeah... I know, I'm sorta pessimistic a lot."

"So, what was the deal with that beige and light brown dude at the restaurant?" Mike inquired.

Stella sighed. "That was my supposed fiance. Father set me up. I don't like the guy. He's not brave or confident or anything... He just pretends."

Mike nodded. "And...?"

"I've been looking for a guy with all those qualities..." She flashed her silver eyes. "...and I found him."

Mike laughed. "Me? Brave? C'mon!"

"It's true! I mean if you weren't brave, you wouldn't go around robbing and killing and everything else. If you weren't confident, you could never talk louder than a room full of wild animals!"

"Are you saying I talk too much?" Mike laughed more. "I guess I do. I've been looking for a girl that's willing to do anything...and I've found her. You've put up with doing anything that I want to do for..." He looked at the big clock on the wall which read one in the morning. "...about six and a half hours."

"Oh my God, really?" Stella laughed, too. "How did I survive doing everything you wanted to do or try out?"

Mike blushed. "Haha, very funny. You still have remorse?"

Stella shrugged. "Not really."

Mike nodded as he lied back. "So...what do you wanna do tomorrow?"

"Do what I wanna do." Stella laughed more.

Mike laughed also. "What do you wanna do, Miss Stella?"

"I want to learn how to rob, Master Mike," Stella whispered.

Mike rolled over onto his side to face her. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Stella whispered as she stroked his cheek.

Mike grinned. "Yeah, whatever."

Stella smiled. "Yeah, whatever is right."

Suddenly the couple paused with the sound of the door down the stairs opening. Mike sat up and glanced around. "Hide," he whispered as he pushed Stella away. She shrugged as she emerged herself underneath the satin sheets of the bed.

Right then, Number 1 walked into the room. He crossed over to Mike and whispered, "Okay, I think they're done for the night."

"What happened?" Mike inquired. "I mean...did you kill any of them or take them hostage or anything?"

Number 1 shrugged. "We shot a few, killed another few, but they eventually backed down when Mr. Officer Bob told them to, and they retreated. That father of that girl's must be determined to get her back." He flashed his baby blue eyes. "I say you get rid of her NOW. The fact that she's here is enough to enrage that ham. He's rich enough to get her back, and he'll most likely give you everything." He flashed his eyes again. "Maybe enough to buy the entire city. Wouldn't you like that? Wouldn't you like to have Hamster City, one of the most important cities in Hamster history to be YOURS? Wouldn't you like to go through the city knowing you owned it? Wouldn't you like to see your name, Mike, the Bad Ham Dictator, in the paper everyday? You can make it happen. Just tell her father the price, and he'll do it. Promise me. He'll give you enough to buy maybe even the next few cities around here. Then you can name this area _the Bad Ham Metropolis_. What do you say? Would you like our name to be in every convo everyone has? Would you like it that the police station would HAVE to listen to us? Would you like it you could do ANYTHING you wanted with this town? You just have to tell the girl's father the price you want, and you won't allow lower payment. _You just have to give Stella up._"

Mike stared back at Number 1 with sternness in his eyes. "No."

Number 1 frowned. "What, Mr. Bad Ham Dictator? Did you just tell 'no' to the one who taught you all of these things? Did you just tell 'no' to the one who made you powerful? Did you just tell 'no' to me, Number 1? Did you?"

"Do I need to repeat? NO." Mike narrowed his eyes. "I'll never give Stella up. I will never trade love for money."

"It's not LOVE, Mike. You just want to make more people in the world unhappy by not letting them get what they want. What you and Stella are involved is something called 'playing'... You're not in love. You just THINK you are. You're playing around with something you don't know about."

Mike stood up, despite the fact that he was now fully exposed, and walked up to Number 1. He crossed his arms against his chest. "I'm in love with her. I'm not letting that father of hers dictate her like she's been telling me he's been doing. She's his daughter, for God's sake. I treat my enemies and prisoners how he treats her. He doesn't show her respect, and I won't allow a girl like Stella to live with him and be forced to marry that lame guy."

Number 1 was barely listening to what Mike was saying. "Say...why... Wait, I haven't seen Stella come out of here yet. It's been six and a half hours, hasn't it about? And here you are, naked as a jaybird, and I haven't seen her? Oh, I get it..."

Mike turned pale. "Wait, no..."

Number 1 grinned grimly. "I know JUST how to get rid of her. Just wait until the rest of the Numbers hear this. They'll get a good laugh out of this. Then you'll be so embarrassed, you'll toss her out in desperation to get your pride back. Don't worry, Mike. We're giving her back to her father, whether you like it..._or not_."

Mike glared at Number 1 with his nastiest glare. "_No, I'll toss you out_."

Number 1 reared back with anger. "Oh? You gonna toss me out 'cuz I wanna get rid of the girl? Oh, nooo... The Bad Hams is a lifetime commitment, remember?"

"Exactly. That's why Stella can't leave." Mike's glare was growing more hostile each second.

Number 1 raised on of his eyebrows. "You tryin' to be smart with me? You're not tryin' to outsmart me so you can get your way-"

"SHE IS NOT LEAVING, AND THAT IS FINAL." Mike's glare was now accompanied by an ugly frown and his large, demanding voice.

Number 1 crossed his arms and hovered over Mike. "You think a kid like you can tell _me_ what to do? Huh?"

Mike continued glaring into Number 1's eyes. "Yes. I'm Bad Ham Dictator. _You_ do what _I_ say. _I_ don't do what _you_ say."

Number 1 grabbed Mike's shoulders and shook him violently. "LISTEN, MIKE. GET RID OF HER. SHE'S _UNHEALTHY_ FOR YOU AND FOR US!"

Mike broke away. "NO! I AM NOT GETTING RID OF HER!"

"GET RID OF HER!"

"NO!"

"GET RID OF HER! GIVE HER BACK TO HER FATHER! GET AS MUCH MONEY WE CAN GET OUT OF HIM, AND THEN BUY THIS CITY! IT'S OUR **OBJECTIVE**!!!"

"NOT ANYMORE THEN!" Mike flashed his bold, daring chocolate brown eyes before turning away from Number 1. Number 1's large chest went up and down with his hard, rhythmic, profound breathing as he uttered, "Fine. Let's just see what happens when I practically tell her father what's been going on. How about that, _Master Mike_?"

After waiting a minute without Mike turning around to look at Number 1, Number 1 whispered, "Do you want me to go to her father? Acknowledge him? Hmm?"

After another minute of waiting, Mike still didn't turn around or mutter anything. Number 1's patience grew shorter as he shouted, "MIKE, ANSWER ME! I KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GIVE UP LOVE, AND THIS IS IT! YOU **HAVE** TO GIVE HER UP!!!"

"I'M NOT GIVING HER UP!" Mike shouted back as he turned around toward Number 1. "How many times must I say it? I've made a decision. I made it carefully. I love her with the same brotherly love that you, the Numbers, and I have formed. And if you're thinking things will change drastically around here, no, nothing drastic will change. She'll learn quickly. She's willing to learn. She WANTS to learn. And she wants to learn from you." His eyes had fragility in them, but then he was fearless.

Number 1 let his paws fall down to his side. "She wants to learn from me? Why me? Why not-"

"She's told me she really wants to get to know you and the Numbers. She wants to learn from the instructor that taught me. It'd only be right. I'm not a very good teacher, and she doesn't want you to go easy on her. She's a very tough girl, I HAVE FIGURED OUT. Please, Number 1. Please try to understand. Let her stay. ...Don't tell the other Numbers what I look like right now. Please?"

Number 1 sighed as he looked at Mike again. "If you cover yourself up, I'll forget your image right now, quicker. And okay, I guess she can stay."

Mike nodded. "Thanks, Number 1." He embraced Number 1 in a brotherly hug. Number 1 glanced around and pushed Mike away after a second. "Dude, don't do that with nothing on... It makes me feel not right... Okay?"

Mike sighed. "Whatever." He walked back over to his bed and covered up the lower part of his body. "Good night."

Number 1 grunted. "Good night," he muttered as he turned off the light switch and walked out of the room.

Right when the door closed, Stella poked her head out from underneath the satin. "What took so long for him to just agree with you? I mean..."

Mike shrugged. "Dunno." He lied back on his back.

END OF FLASHBACK

"And THEN what?" Caitlin pushed with excitement. "Did Number 1 succeed?"

"...If I continued onto what happened next, Dilla would most likely have to leave." Mike shrugged. "I dunno."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Just go ahead. I DON'T CARE BY THIS POINT; I'M GONNA HEAR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ANYWAY!"

"...And then we did it some more! And we had fun! ...The end." Mike laughed. "Well, end of the night, pretty much..."

"...How did I know he was gonna say that?" Natsu asked herself aloud.

"...Yeah... And then la, la, la, LAAA! And la, la, la, LAAA!!!"

"Mike, are you high?" Caitlin asked loudly.

Mike turned pale. "...I dunno... Oh well, I'll continue on with the next day..."

FLASHBACK

"Mmm...hmm...mmm...," Mike snored as he rolled off of his bed. "Mmm...hmm...mmm...hmm...mmm...I-mm...will-mm...make-mm...you-mm...shout-mm...for-mm...mer-"

"GOOD MORNING, LITTLE BOY AND GIRL!" a voice shouted in Mike's ear.

"Oh shit!" Mike shouted as he jumped up, once again exposed.

Stella shot up, also exposed. "I DIDN'T KILL HIM!" she screamed.

"Kill who?" another voice muttered.

Mike glanced up to see Number 1, Number 3, and Number 5. They laughed mockingly as he muttered, "Number 1..."

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!" Number 1 laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! SEE? SEE???"

"Shut up, you moron..." Mike gritted his teeth.

"This is hilarious," Number 3 pointed out.

"Rather," Number 5 remarked.

"How did you...," Mike murmured.

"First, we could hear you clear all the way to the game room," Number 3 began.

"And then Number 1 thought he would come up here last night to check everything out," Number 5 explained.

"And it wasn't," Number 1 pointed out.

"But we didn't say anything to the others," Number 3 acknowledged.

"And then...?" Mike murmured.

"Well, that's about it," Number 1 responded. "You know? You know that and-"

"She's hot?" Number 3 mumbled.

"...Shut up, you dumbass," Mike retorted as he scowled.

"I can already tell this isn't going to last forever," Number 1 laughed.

"Who knows? It could end after breakfast," Number 5 said. "You never know."

"Just put something on and come down." The three Numbers then exited the room.

The next things Mike shouted is too explicit to write down. Stella was shivering and there was no color whatsoever in her face. She held onto Mike's lower arm and whispered, "...Oh no..."

"Oh shit is more like it," he murmured.

A few minutes later, Mike and Stella walked down to the dining room. Stella's color still had not returned, and Mike was actually quivering a bit. Number 1 was sitting at the table wearing a triumphant grin as Number 3 and Number 5 were whispering to each other. The other Numbers looked as if they had no idea what was happening. Mike sat down with Stella beside him and glared at Number 1. Number 1's winning grin slowly faded as he looked back into Mike's cold eyes.

"...Mike?" he mumbled standing up.

Mike hissed, "You say anything else?"

"Everyone gets the idea... Right, fellas?"

The rest of the Numbers looked around at each other in confusion.

Number 1 pointed at the couple. "They-"

"Are in love," Mike completed.

Number 1 paused. "...Eh?"

"You lied to me last night... You remember?"

"...Oh shit, man... I'm screwed..."

"Yes, rather screwed now. Now you owe me."

"...Shit... How?"

"You now have to teach Stella what she wants to learn."

END OF FLASHBACK

"...That's the end of that, in simple words." Mike shrugged.

"...okay...," Megan muttered.

"Well, I'll skip all the small parts so I can get to my point."

"Alrighteh, let's hear it," Caitlin remarked.

FLASHBACK

"Are you sure I can do this?" Stella's silver eyes shone shyly.

Mike nodded. "Of course! This will be easier than you think."

Currently they stood in front of a small store. Stella was cloaked in a leather suit to hide her identity, and she wore a utility belt. Mike pushed her toward the door of the store. "Go on... It's worse if you wait," he whispered in her ear.

Stella nodded as she walked in. The store was fairly crowded, and she walked straight with fear and envy in her eyes toward the counter. The hamster behind the counter was reading a newspaper, and she pulled her 9-mm out of her utility belt. Stella rapped it against the counter as she shouted, "Give me all you got!"

The hamster behind the counter jumped up. He then glared at Stella. "You're just a girl."

Stella hissed, "I'm Stella, primary assistant of the Bad Hams. Give me all you got."

The hamster rolled his eyes. "Where's your proof that you're a Bad Ham?"

Stella took out her identity card and shoved it in his face. He laughed without care.

"This still does you no good! What are you going to do if I don't give you what you want?" he laughed.

Stella shoved her 9-mm against his neck.

"You wouldn't dare kill me, and you know it."

Stella whispered, "Give me what you got."

A hamster nearby whispered, "She's serious; didn't you read it in the news last week about her?"

The hamster behind the counter continued laughing. "Never would you kill me! You know you couldn't."

Stella pulled her trigger, and he fell onto the ground. She jumped behind the counter and stomped his body until she knew that he was gone forever. She then pulled open the register and emptied the contents into a bag before jumping out from behind the counter and running out the door. She felt Mike grab her by the wrist and she could feel the rush of the wind against her face as police sirens went off everywhere. Stella couldn't comprehend what happened until she and Mike were inside the front room.

"...You get anything?" Mike inquired.

"I shot him," Stella whispered as her silver eyes went cold.

"...Well, you got the objective." He shrugged.

"Is this what's supposed to happen?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. Either that's what happens or you get what you want without violence, but that's rare."

END OF FLASHBACK

"THEN what?" Caitlin inquired.

"Well, we celebrated," Mike responded.

"...And...?"

"...Shut up..."

"Is there any more?" Natsu asked.

"Not that I want to tell you, no."

"Awww, and it was starting to get good," Megan mumbled.

Mike shrugged as he grinned with an award-winning smile. "I just can't wait to see Stella again tomorrow."

"So what was the point of all of these stories?" Caitlin questioned.

"Well, the objective I was reaching for was that you should know that Stella _looks_ like she was naturally lucky, which indeed, she really wasn't very lucky until I came around. And then she came to be what she is today: Stella, my _lovely_ assistant. And now we will have to face tomorrow like I did then: with overwhelming power..."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The "Wedding"

The "wedding" day...

"Sigh...," Stella sighed and looked into the mirror. Oh yes, she was indeed beautiful, but her heart was breaking quickly. She dusted off her dress and positioned the hat on her head as she kept on thinking about all the memories she had now ruined. Stella whispered, "I wonder where they are right now... No, they're not coming, and they never will, and that is why you must end everything soon."

Stella brought out a large knife from her suitcase which she had brought with her. "Welly, it's almost time; I might as well look beautiful when I die."

Meanwhile...

"Wow, this is a weird place," Caitlin remarked as she, Natsu, and Megan walked into the Hamster City Outskirts Chapel. The three double agents were all wearing fancy dresses, Caitlin's purple, Natsu's blue, Megan's red, but they didn't have their black dye in their fur. Chad quickly spotted them and walked toward them.

"_Hey, Shoxxi_ gals!" Chad exclaimed. "How are _ya_? Ya _doin' good_? What _happened_ to _your_-"

"No time to talk, Chad, we need to see Stella really quick. Just for a moment," Caitlin explained.

"_Why?_"

"Because if we don't, we're going to kill you, too."

"_...WHAAAT?!!_"

"Just let us talk to her."

"_Let's say this... When we're ready to start, you can bring her out here, kay? KAY!_" Chad ran away from the three double agents with a frightened look on his face.

"Wellys, you heard him. We go back there when they're ready to start. We can either bring her out here and let Mike be the hero, or we can drag her out, and we can be the heroines, even though Mike wants to be it and he has his little confession...," Caitlin thought aloud. "Oh wellys, let's just bring her out so he won't kill us, too. But we can't let her know who we are, Mike said, so we have to use these veils..."

"Right," Natsu and Megan replied as they three put on veils that matched the colors of their dresses to cover up their identity.

The three double agents walked up to the front of the room where Jake and the nameless hamster was. Jake was pacing back and forth as the nameless hamster looked rather dreary. No one acknowledged the three double agents they were there.

The pastor, who looked like he had been dealing drugs and had just finished filling himself with heroin and finished snuffing cocaine, looked at the time. "I think it's time," he shouted loudly in his high voice.

"It's only half past noon," Jake muttered. "You three, dear gallies, go back and get her so we can get this over with and-"

"EVERYONE CAN START MAKING OUT," the pastor shouted.

"...Never mind him..."

Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan just sort of glanced at each other as they walked down the aisle and turned left once outside the large room. The hallway they went down took them a short ways to a door. Caitlin looked back at the two other double agents as she took a deep breath and prepared herself the lines she had come with in her head as she opened the door.

"**_WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!_**" escaped from the door when Caitlin threw it open.

"WHOA," Natsu shouted as she jumped back into Megan. Caitlin froze in place before she could remember what she wanted to say. She cleared her throat and looked into the room.

Stella was there, but she looked out of place like a broken rib bone. She had on the beautiful pink dress and hat with the veil, and the veil was covering her face. Caitlin pulled down on her veil so Stella could not recognize her.

Stella stopped breathing for a minute and looked at the three double agents. "Oh, you're just little girls," she whispered as she leaned back against the mirror. "You're no harm. Come in."

Caitlin remarked, "We are here to take you to the aisle."

"It's that time already? I don't wanna die tonight."

Caitlin paused before saying anything. "I promise you happiness in a few moments if you just come with me."

"If you mean by that lame-"

"I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about someone else."

"...Who are you? I thought I knew you for a moment..."

"You know me. You know who I work for. You know we three are the ones who found out about this so you can be saved."

"You're not saying-"

"C'mon, Stellsys, we need to go quickly."

"Stellsys... ...OH MY GOD, IT'S YOU, CC!!!"

"Shhh... They know me as Cait Shoxxi, remember?"

"OH MY GOD!!! IT'S YOU!!! HOW DID YOU-"

"Long story; I'll explain later. Now let's go!" The three double agents tugged on Stella as she obediently followed them to the large room.

The Chapel had come up with their own singer, but it was a cross between a pothead and a R&B singer, so Caitlin had to run up to the front of the room really quickly before Stella entered to shut them up. She began singing "Xoe" by Unfinished Thought, but too many people thought it was depressing and they wanted to get the service over with so they could-

"MAKE OUT!" the pastor continuously shouted.

"That frickin' guy's obsessed with making out, isn't he?" Caitlin murmured as she walked back outside the large room to the three other girls. "Alrighteh, Stellsys, you go out there, and we make the BIGGEST delay until something happens."

"Alright," Stella whispered back as she walked into the big room.

Anyone from a mile away could hear the gasps when Stella walked into the large room. She was very breath-taking as she walked delicately down the aisle. Her mind was set onto what was about to happen... But she then remembered...

Stella walked up to Jake. She mouthed something before she heard Caitlin, Natsu, and Megan shout, "WAIT! Aren't we forgetting someone, hmm?"

Chad, who was standing at the front of the room, walked over to them. "Don't _delay us, Shoxxi_ gals! We're _trying_ to-"

"Get yourselves into a potload of trouble with me, right?" a demanding voice said from the back of the room.

Everyone in the whole room stopped dead. There in the back of the room was Mike in his awesome gloryness with Becky and Roger behind him. Jake quivered in his fur as Stella began floating with delight. Jake whispered, "Jamie, emergency."

The nameless hamster clamped onto Stella's arm before she began to run. She yelled at him to let go, but suddenly the voiceless hamster turned on her. Jake walked down to the middle of the room still quivering with Chad doubling his fists and growling loudly. Mike glanced at Chad and yelled over at Caitlin, "That short and annoying looking guy that Chad guy, right?"

"Yeah," Caitlin responded.

"YOU MEAN YOU ARE OF HIS?!!" Jake screamed as he began backing up quickly back to the front of the room.

"Uh, yeah," the three double agents muttered. "Have been for a while now..."

Jake reached behind a surface and whispered, "Alright, Mr. Bad Ham-"

"IT'S MONTGOMERY FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Mike retorted loudly.

"Oh my God," Caitlin gasped unbelievingly. "He never told me that... NO FAIR!"

"...Alright, Mr. Montgomery, if you think you've outsmarted me, think again!" Jake lunged forward toward Mike while he raised his club high in the air. Mike pounced and expanded his razor sharp claws from his paws. When they collided, Mike wounded Jake across the face with his sharp claws and landed on his feet on the ground. Jake held one of his paws to his face to try to stop the bleeding as he yelled, "I need some HELP!"

Mike shouted, "You can't call for help! That's not-" Before he could get another word out, he felt overpowering weight atop of his body that crushed him onto the floor. "HASHAA!?? GET OFF OF ME, YOU FAT LUMBERWOOD!" he shouted at the heavy hamsters that were atop of him.

Jake walked up with his club raised. "It was nice living your life, wasn't it?" he growled.

"...Yes, it was," Mike riposted as he tried to get up from underneath the heavyweight.

Jake was laughing mightily, but suddenly his laughing stopped. His eyes grew wide and pale as he dropped his club. He fell to his knees and looked behind him. Jake's last words before he closed his eyes were, "STELLA, WHY?!!"

The heavy hamsters paused for a moment before getting off of Mike. The other hamsters in the room were paused. Mike stood up and looked down at Jake. He saw that someone had thrown a knife at him from the back into his heart, and it was dead aim...

"Stella?" Mike whispered as he looked up.

Stella was breathing hard. The voiceless hamster's paw was on the ground in front of her (at the moment he was screaming with pain, so he must have not been voiceless anymore), but not a speck of blood got onto her. She closed her eyes began falling back. Mike ran to her and caught her as she fell. "Stella! You...you...killed him!"

"I...did?" Stella gasped as she looked up into Mike's soft and understanding brown eyes. She clung to him and burst into tears. "I'M SORRY, MIKE! I DIDN'T MEAN TO-"

"Shh, Stella, I know, I understand all that happened now." Mike embraced her as she whispered, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

"Shh... Don't worry... Shh..." Mike softly pushed up on her chin and looked directly into her silver eyes. "I got something to ask you, and I didn't know I needed to do this until all this happened, but I know I need to ask now." He pulled out a little case and held it up to her. "Stella, before I say anything else, if it weren't for Cait, Natalie, and Dilla, I'd prob'ly be off somewhere else wondering what happened. You see, Cait was the one who found the ransom note, and then they found Chad and et cetera. I'll tell you later, but I wanted you to know that it wasn't all me doing the dirty work; it was the Shoxxi gals."

"Wow, he gave US credit," Caitlin gasped.

Mike cleared his throat and continued talking to Stella. "I need to ask you now, and I need to know your answer now. _Stella, will you marry me?_"

Poor Roger and Becky took this by surprise considering they were standing right next to them. Becky sniffed and looked up at Roger. Roger actually started crying out of instinct. Becky hugged him and whispered, "Don't worry, Rogie, I'm here."

Roger blushed and whispered, "Oui, Miss Becky."

Stella's eyes were lit up like large water crystals. She clung tighter to Mike and whispered, "Yes! Yes, I will!"

"_Aww_, this is _so sad_ and _DEPRESSING_," Chad screamed as he ran into the walls continuously.

Suddenly many sirens went off. Number 1 ran into the large room and shouted, "BAD HAMS, RETREAT! They're here with a whole army! Now, c'mon! C'mon!"

Mike swept Stella into his arms. "Remember this? And then remember what happened next?"

Stella's eyes were still glowing. "Yes, let's relive that night."

"OH GOOD GOD," Caitlin shouted as she and the two other double agents ran out of the chapel.

Mike and Stella ignored the three double agents as they ran out of the Chapel with Number 1. Roger and Becky glanced at each other cutely and held each other's paws as they ran out of the Chapel...


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Afterward

Later...

The three double agents stuck around the "chapel" to see what actually happened. They found out the "chapel" was actually a drug dealer's place (no wonder Mike knew about it and that it was a "chapel"), and they found a lot of the hamsters arrested. It relieved them when the police dragged Chad out of the chapel and shoved him into one of the police cars.

Caitlin walked up to one of the police officers and inquired, "What did Chad do?"

The police officer responded, "Well, he dealed drugs here and influenced everyone to do crimes and such."

"And that is still why I'm after the Bad Hams," Officer Bob muttered as he walked over. "Caitlin? Pull up your veil, you're not ugly."

"Oh, yeah, right," Caitlin whispered as she pulled back her veil.

Officer Bob looked up at Megan and Natsu. "You two also."

Natsu and Megan pulled back their veils.

"Caitlin, your husband was lookin' for you."

"HE WAS?!" Caitlin gasped.

"Yeah, he's back at the station. So is your husband, Natsu. And I heard them mention you, Megan. They came saying someone sent them to wait there for you guys."

"Oh my God, but I've got to find out what happened with-"

"They're going to jail."

"_No, the Bad Hams!_"

"...Th...they were here...?"

"Yes. Jake was trying an illegal marriage with Mike's assistant-"

"That's the biggest mistake you can make in the first place. I found that out a while back ago when she ran away from her father Simon and-"

"Yeah, Officer, I know the story. So Mike came in, and Jake got help, and Stella was carrying a knife or something, so she chopped off that dude's paw that was holding her and she threw the knife at Jake and killed him! And then they ran out..."

"...Well, we can end this case with them and Stella, I suppose. Her father before he died always said he wanted us to find her and get her away from there, but I do suppose they do like each other." Officer Bob sighed. "I've had dreams for a long time to take them down! Now I'm going to have to go on for the hundreds of other cases... I just gotta find which one is the best-"

"That's nice, Bob. You know what? Why don't you just take us to the station?"

"Oh, yeah. Alright, let's go."

While they were walking behind Officer Bob toward his police car, Caitlin faintly heard the siren of an ambulence. She looked over barely to see Jake being rushed into it. Caitlin could faintly see him open his green eyes and look directly at her...

When they got to the station, Boss and Howdy were sitting outside of it. Caitlin jumped out of the police car and ran to Boss. He picked her up and spun her in the air. "I was so worried about you!!" Boss shouted as he put her back down on the ground. "What happened? Did he hurt you-"

"No, uh... Hamtaro and we three made a bet, and he won, so we had to spend a week with the Bad Hams. Sorry if I made everything sound all worrying. You know me-"

Boss laughed as he hugged her. "Yes, yes, yes, I do. I know him, too. You know I spent three weeks with him..."

"Really? When?"

"...CC..."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Happy Ending Everyone Has Been Waiting For

A week later...

The setting was a large beauteous chapel in the Hamster City Outskirts. All of the Bad Hams were there along with a lot of other guests, including Boss, Howdy, and Officer Bob (actually, Caitlin and Natsu made them go, but the guys still did not get why they were coming). Mike and Stella were up at the front of the chapel next to the altar. Mike was wearing a gorgeous tuxedo, and Stella was wearing her sparkling hot pink dress with the light pink veil.

"I now proclaim to the Bad Hams, Hamster City's public that came, to Hamster City, to the state, to the nation, and to the whole world you Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery aka Mr. and Mrs. Bad Ham!" the minister proclaimed excitedly. "Mr. Bad Ham Dictator, you may now kiss your bride!"

Mike and Stella joined together to kiss, and Caitlin jumped into the aisle to take a first-class picture of them. The crowd exploded with applause. Mike turned toward the crowd and waved with his award-winning smile. Roger and Becky were hugging each other tightly. Number 1 was whistling, and the other Numbers were stomping boisterously.

Stella held onto Mike and looked up at him. Mike looked back into Stella's silver eyes with his stunning brown eyes.

"I've never felt this so happy in my life, Stella," Mike whispered. "I'll never let anything get you... You're my one and only, and you're much more valuable than the world. And I got back my stolen treasures."

THE HAPPY ENDING


End file.
